The Black Heart of a Dark Prince
by Lyrieux
Summary: When the mighty fall at the sight of a shadow, Skyheed finds a new light in the eyes of a girl who isn't who she seems to be and doesn't realise the trouble that will entail this encounter.
1. Wayward Vesper

_**Black Hearts**_

It was a rainy evening in Aeropa. The droplets were falling from the cloudy sky, scattering across the pavement below, soaking the clothes of anyone who was caught out in such weather. Three young children dashed for one of their houses, jackets held above their heads in a last attempt to stay vaguely dry. An old woman was chuckling to herself as she weaved her way around the puddles on the ground, almost skipping. Chancellor Ruskin was also dashing through the rain, although his purpose were not the same as the children, but to find a specific person in which he was looking for as soon as possible.

Being a big city, Chancellor Ruskin had to narrow the places down to just a few likely ones in which the person he was looking for would be. Sighing, he came to the last place on the mental list he had made; The Wayward Vesper. He walked through the highly polished wooden doors of the upper-class Bar and scanned the room. At first, he only saw the regulars, the poker players and the ones that looked as if they shouldn't be there. Then at the bar, in the far corner, was the very person he was looking for. He smiled to himself and slowly navigated the tables to get there, not even receiving a glance from the depressed looking man he was making a v-line for.

"Sir?" He asked, taking the bar-stool that was positioned next to the man he was now talking to. The only vague reply he received was a low grumble. "Sir, I do believe that you should get some sleep."

"Please, Chancellor, I have said before to call me by my name." His voice was blatantly irritated yet smooth.

"Duke Skyheed. You know I would rather call you Sir." His voice was firm yet understanding.

"I suppose." His head sank back down into its original position, his eyes glaring into the shine in his drink.

"It is my duty, Sir, to ask what is wrong. You have been withdrawn all day, and you said almost nothing in the council meeting earlier." It was obvious in ways that Ruskin was almost concerned, but he kept his stubborn self on show for the rest of the Bar.

"I'm twenty-six years of age, Chancellor, and I run an entire city on the edge of a world, outlawed because of our beliefs and hated because of our ways. It came to me this morning... the vile thought... the thought of what if I can never fall in love because of who I am. There are people out there who would like to see me dead and my city fall. Those people may not stop at anything to see me in my grave and this could include manipulating me into situations of false love to do so. Will I ever be able to find someone, fall in love and live my darkened life to protect them?" He let out a depressive sigh.

"Sir, I know how frustrated you must feel, but now is not the time to dwell on such feelings. We are getting the last class of people in during the morning to be _transformed_ into our elite race in which we are creating." He was excited by this, shown by the leaning forward on his stool. Skyheed ran his hand down his forehead, using his thumb and forefinger to rub his eyes before letting it fall to his side as he stood up, leaving behind an empty glass. He sent a quick glance to Ruskin before quietly leaving The Wayward Vesper.

The sky outside was as black as thick tar and there was a distinct rumbling between the clouds, obvious sounds of a nasty thunderstorm brewing. Skyheed looked solemnly up into the sky, letting the rain fall onto his face and slide down his cheeks, acting as tears. A hand patted against his back and he continued to walk, with the comfort from his chancellor being the only fuel keeping him from falling down in a heap of depressive tears on the wet concrete below.

"What time are they coming in the morning?" Skyheed finally asked, lifting his gaze from the concrete steps.

"Half-past nine, Sir. The last of them, all female. None of them are expected to survive very long as they are of the lower-class region, although in their defence, they spend a lot of time around eco-ore and may of built up some sort of resistance." His voice had changed from relaxed to thoughtful.

"I see. I would like to attend." He was being blunt by this point, partially because of his tiredness and partially because they had just entered the Palace and were about to go their separate ways to their chambers.

"Very well, Sir. I will see you in the morning. Sleep well, Sir." Ruskin said, walking off in the opposite direction.

Duke Skyheed walked slowly through the corridors, staring out of each window as he walked past, looking up towards the sky once again. It somewhat reminded it of himself, now infused with Dark Eco. The sky gave a sense of power when it was thunder-storming and Skyheed admired that, it made a connection to the Dark Eco within him and reminded him that he too was now a very powerful being and that his new-found powers should not be used half-heartedly. He knew this deep inside, but he couldn't help bus feel lost in this world. He was different, he always had been. Whether it be the shape of his ears or the way he spoke, he was different. He had been told that this is what made him a great leader for the Aeropans, but this he doubted.

Skyheed came to the door that lead into his chambers and opened it with a whole-hearted sigh. Never before had he felt so alone. Usually he was so involved with the council meetings, expressing his new views and ideas to keep his people safe and to spread power among them, but his new-found love-depression changed that. He sat there today, quiet, staring out of the window to the cloud-ridden sky deep in thought.

Skyheed sighed once more before removing his jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. He glanced at himself in the mirror opposite, breathing in and broadening his chest, smiling slightly. Why bother kidding himself, he felt useless to himself, but he knew that he must never show weakness in front of his people, nor the council, it would lead to his downfall and that he did not want. Skyheed threw himself backwards onto his bad and slipped off his shoes before curling into a ball onto his side and gently falling asleep.

_Tomorrow was going to be a milestone in Aeropan history... the last of the Dark Eco injection cycles... but what will that lead to?_


	2. Doctors

_**Doctors**_

The weather was as bad as it was yesterday. The rain was streaming down the window panes and the sound of it pattering against them was the only thing to be heard as five women were escorted into a small room to await the upcoming events. One by one they were taken out and the lives they once lived were changed forever by the sickening power of Dark Eco. First into the chair was a young singer from the local pub, she was nineteen years of age and terrified. The following two were both waitresses from the same pub, both twenty-one years of age. Excruciating screams were heard throughout the complex, echoing through the surrounding corridors and sending chills down the spines of passers-by, who too remember going through the same experience.

Woman four was taken in, the oldest of the bunch at the age of sixty-four. Her shrivelled screams weren't as loud as that of the younger women, but just as frightening. The final woman was taken in; only this time there was no screaming from the twenty-four year old, only utter silence which was just as eerie as the screaming. As each one finished their Dark Eco Injection Cycle, they were wheeled out on beds with their bodies wrapped in white sheets from the infirmary. Their faces were pale and their eyes closed in a forced sleep.

* * *

Duke Skyheed awoke late from his slumber and sighed as he pulled himself out of bed. He could hear the faint footsteps coming from outside his door but ignored them, choosing to get dressed instead of opening the door. After dressing he forced a smile in the mirror while grabbing his jacket and walked out into the now deserted corridor. It seems whoever was trying to get his attention obviously didn't need him that much. That thought was interrupted when Chancellor Ruskin came striding down the opposite end of the corridor, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Skyheed.

"Ah! Sir! Good Morning." He said, smiling his scary smile. "Well, it's almost the afternoon, is everything okay, sir?" He seemed rather concerned as he looked at the watch upon his wrist showing the time of 11 a.m.

"I'm fine, Chancellor. Overslept is all. How did the final Cycle go?" His tone taking on that of a well-spoken business man.

"It seems to of gone well overall, sir. Although I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I do have some to tell. Not half an hour ago, one of the women died quite terribly." Chancellor Ruskin's head sank as he told his superior the bad news.

"I see. How old was she?" Skyheed asked, gesturing to the Chancellor to walk with him up the hallway.

"Nineteen, sir." His simple reply was all that was needed.

Skyheed closed his eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger. _Far too young._ He himself was not old at the age of 26 but the tolls of being head of a huge city and thousands of people were enough to make anyone feel older than they were.

The conversation ended and they made their way, in silence, towards the infirmary where the remaining four women were. The walls were painted in a dull white and the floor covered in a polished grey stone. The footsteps from both men echoed around the infirmary as they were lead in by the Doctor in charge of the last Cycle. "I think you'll both agree that for the... shall we say; _runts of the litter?_... They did quite well. Four out of five is good, although we can't be too hasty can we?." The Doctor seemed to be a very arrogant and self-assured man with too much confidence for Skyheed's liking.

Skyheed didn't consider himself a confident man, every time it came to public speaking , other than the council, he just froze up and couldn't do it. _Everyone has a weakness though, right?_ It also angered him that some of his less fortunate people were referred to as the _runts of the litter._

"How are the remaining four?" Chancellor Ruskin asked the Doctor.

"Two are almost ready to be discharged due to their remarkable recovery; I guess they were natural Eco-Channellers. One had to be sedated because of a violent outbreak and the last was over-sedated by a training nurse." The Doctor was talking as if it was all totally normal.

"I see..." Chancellor Ruskin did not seem very pleased with this, as he knew his superior would like all of his people to be treated fairly and the fact that it seemed a few of the infirmary staff were not educated to a high standard worried the both of them.

The Doctor then decided that he would walk over to the two women, who were now sat on the edges of their beds ready to leave, and helped them up. They thanked him and bowed their heads as they walked passed Skyheed and the Chancellor as a token of respect. The Doctors attention then turned to the now stirring woman in the corner, which had been marked as dangerous. She had been harshly strapped down onto the infirmary bed and was supposed to be kept sedated for at least three days, by which time the more _dangerous_ effects of the Eco Cycle should have worn off.

The only problem was, in all the kerfuffle with discharging the two women and informing the Chancellor and Skyheed of the recent events, the Doctor had forgotten to up the dosage of the sedation fluid and as a result of this, the dangerous woman had woken up. The Chancellor made a run for it the moment the woman opened her eyes and Skyheed took a few steps back. The woman's eyes took on a shiny black colour and her nails grew to an extraordinary length. In one fell swoop she sliced through the straps holding her down and leapt off the bed. She staggered her way slowly towards Skyheed, but was permanently disposed of when a bullet was driven through her skull by a now present guard. Skyheed rubbed his face with his hand and walked out to find the Chancellor.

The search was much easier than Skyheed first thought. The Chancellor was merely stood outside with three guards talking to him. His worried face was wiped away when his eyes set themselves on Skyheed and the both of them proceeded to walk back inside the infirmary. There was now only the one woman left and the rest of the people were from common injury or from skirmishes with the Eco Pirates. The Chancellor then remembered the badly trained nurses and decided it would be wise to find the Doctor, wherever he had gotten to and bring the subject up with him. This left Skyheed alone.

During the first five minutes of standing alone Skyheed witnessed three people walk out upon their own accord and more taken to different wards by some nurses. This left a mere four people inside the ward he was on; the last woman, a child with a broken arm and two men who had taken some bullets during a scuffle with a few Eco Pirates. At that moment in time, the entire ward went quiet since everyone in it was asleep. But the woman in the corner caught Skyheed's eye when she began to stir. Intrigued, he walked over and sat onto the side of her bed, being careful not to wake her prematurely. He sat there for a few moments, admiring her pale complexion and feeling sympathy for her sore eyes. Her breathing pattern changed to that of someone who was awake. Slowly she raised her hand to touch her eyes but Skyheed held her wrist delicately and brought it back down.

"It would be best if you were not to touch them for now." He said, in a well-spoken tone.

"I can't open them." She said; her voice croaky.

"I know. Don't worry, you will be able to in a few days, 'tis a mere side effect of the Cycle." He was beginning to sound like a Doctor, but maybe that was for the best. If she knew who he was, she would probably not speak very much or would change what she was going to say to some sort of polite small-talk. Everyone did that. Whenever he wanted to have a normal conversation with somebody outside of the palace, it wouldn't happen. Said person would simply be overly polite and small-talk with him, though I suppose its natural since he was their superior. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit rough I suppose. How long do I have to stay in for?" She certainly sounded rough, her voice was cracking mid-sentence and she seemed to have quite a temperature according to the monitor.

Skyheed froze for a moment, realising that she thought _he_ was a doctor. "A few days should be sufficient." He said, playing along. After all, it would be much safer is she didn't know it was him and anyway, at least he would be able to speak freely and get a decent answer. He moved a strand of hair out of her face and she smiled slightly as if to say thank you. "So." He started. "Do you work?" He stood up at this point and walked to the end of her bed, looking at her notes.

"Yes. Seven days a week, twelve hours a day." She laughed a little; her throat was too sore to laugh fully and by this point Skyheed had discovered that she was the twenty-four year old out of the bunch of women but no other information.

"What do you work as? If you don't mind me asking." He was being overly curious, he knew that, but there was something to do with this woman that intrigued him.

"I'm a mechanic, down in the lower Hangar. We work on most of the Army's aircraft and the richer folk's personal crafts. Patching them up and painting them, on the rare occasion we build a plane from scratch and upgrade some of the others, nothing amazing." She didn't sound very passionate about her work, but she was obviously very skilled in what she did, otherwise she would be nowhere near the lower Hangar where the pros were.

"Ahh, You must be a very skilled woman, but I don't think I caught your name..." His polite and charming voice would manipulate anyone into telling him their name and thats exactly what happened here.

"Ava, my name is Ava." Her voice was slowly getting better and wasn't crackling as much.

"A beautiful name." Skyheed said, taking her hand into his. Shivers went up her spine at first, but then she relaxed back into her pillow. "So, Ava. What are your views on the Council Of Aeropa?"

"A bit of a random question isn't it? Well, I believe that they do a fantastic job, but I find Chancellor Ruskin a bit arrogant, or what I've seen of him anyway. As for Duke Skyheed, I think he's doing a great job. It must be hard being alone and being in charge of such an amount of people." She seemed to cheer up a bit, and now Skyheed had received a hidden compliment too. Maybe his day was getting a bit better, even if the rain was still bouncing off the window panes.

Skyheed looked at the time and said his goodbyes. He had promised Ava that he would see her tomorrow. In a way he had to, considering he was now posing as a doctor and it would seem odd if a doctor didn't turn up to work. His timing was perfect since he walked out of the infirmary just as the Chancellor came walking towards it. There were no words spoken, just silent nods of acknowledgement as they walked back down the corridor.

The afternoon had drawn in and Skyheed and the Chancellor had a few things to bring up with the council, such as the recent Eco Pirate attacks. Skyheed's busy schedule made it virtually impossible to have any time to relax or to be alone, but he made it his mini-mission to see Ava at some point tomorrow.

_How long can this Doctor disguise last?_

* * *

Oh My God! The hassle with this chapter was unbelievable. I nearly finsihed it and then my computer decided it would have a spazz and i lost it :( So i had to rewrite it. Ah well, hope you like it :)


	3. Mind Over Matter

_**Mind Over Matter**_

The council was in full swing by the time 10am came around. The Chancellor was pacing back and forth listening to one member of the council state what he thought of the current Pirate attacks and whether or not he thought there was some sort of pattern to them.

"I personally believe that there is some pattern to the Pirate's attacks. Yes, we all know they grow stronger day by day and that since we have been looking for the Eco-Core they have increased their attacks. This shows us that we must step up security to stop this happening again. Its simple!" The Tall dark-haired man was stood out of his seat, expressing his statement with the help of his hands, adding urgency. Almost immediately after this man stopped talking, another stood up.

"I believe that to be folly! Simply increasing security will be no more help to us than the security already in place. I suggest we up our own attacks, show those well-spoken pirates what we can really do." This man was just as passionate as the first. Duke Skyheed by this point was leaning the side of his head on his hand, his elbow leaning onto the edge of the chair. Every time someone spoke, he would watch them, before sighing and changing his gaze to that of the next speaker. He hadn't said anything yet, his initial plan was to wait for them all to run out of ideas then make a speech, but this was taking a while and he had not accumulated anything to say. He didn't intend to look bored, but in all honesty, he was. Usually the council meetings interested him but something else was on his mind.

Skyheed didn't sleep a wink last night. Tossing and turning though every hour on the clock, he lay there and sighed to himself, his mind being played on by the same thing it was in the council at that moment; _Ava. _As much as he tried he simply could not get her out of his mind. Whether it be her brown hair or her pale face, it was there, constantly in the back of his mind. Skyheed snapped back into reality when Chancellor Ruskin gave him a sly nudge with his elbow and he tried to tune back into the conversation. A few more minutes passed and his mind began to wander again but in an attempt to stop it, Skyheed stood up and decided it was about time he said something:

"My friends. I appreciate your passion in your statements and your concern over the current situation. The increased attacks from the blasted Eco Pirates are only to be expected and I must say that..." He stopped as if all words has just vanished from his mouth; "I'm sorry I have somewhere to be." His abrupt exit came much to the surprise of the other council members and the Chancellor looked the most shocked. _Skyheed was not himself._

The corridor was totally empty apart from the cleaner who was currently buffering the floor. Skyheed signalled for the man to stay quiet as he walked passed and the man clearly obliged by bowing his head. Now came the problem of being recognised. Skyheed's plan was to go to the infirmary to see Ava but if he turned up in his usual attire and he was seen in there instead of at the council, he would be escorted back. Whereas if he were to wear something a little more inconspicuous there was the chance that nobody would recognise him. So, walking into his chamber, Skyheed threw off his jacket and began to unbutton his waistcoat. After placing his shirt and waistcoat on his bed, he walked over to the wardrobe to look for something less..._formal._ He absent-mindedly itched his chest wile pulling out a while t-shirt and threw it onto his bed, followed by a pair of jeans. Skyheed dressed rather quickly and finished off his clothing by pulling on a pair of black boots. He stood in front of the wall-length mirror and sighed, he still looked like himself. His hair then occurred to him and in one swift movement he grabbed the hair-tie between his fingers and pulled it out, allowing his cold teal blue hair to fall around his shoulders. That was one thing he rarely did, pull his hair out of its neat ponytail, but the situation seemed to call for it. After giving it a quick brush he hung his usual attire up into his wardrobe and left.

_**

* * *

**_

The infirmary was soon in sight and Skyheed walked in casually. His presence was not questioned by anyone since there was no staff there. He scanned the room and in the same place as she was yesterday was Ava. Only today she was sat there in her own clothes and on the top of the sheets not within them. The only thing that seemed to be the same about her was the simple fact that her eyes were still shut. Skyheed made his way over to her and sat on the side of her bed causing her head to turn as if to look at him.

"How are you today?" Skyheed asked, adjusting the jacket he had grabbed just as he left his chamber.

"I'm fine, thank you." Ava laughed; "You gave me a bit of a fright there."

"The I give you my apologies." He said, realising he sounded slightly too upper-class, but that was one thing that he would not change, he loved his accent and vast vocabulary too much.

"Don't worry. Dr. Marvo said I should be able to open my eyes in a while. Its about time, I'm fed up of not being able to see anything." She was smiling and seemed to be in a general good mood.

"I'm glad to hear it." This unnerved Skyheed, he didn't want her opening her eyes and recognising him straight away.

"Sir?" She asked. It took Skyheed a few moments before he remembered that she was talking to him.

"Yes?" He replied, placing his hand on hers.

"What do you do as a doctor?" Skyheed had no idea what to say and his second scan of the room showed that there was no other doctor in sight. It was time to come clean.

"Well, you see... Erm..." He really did not know what to say. Being speechless was becoming quite a regular thing. Ava sighed before laughing and then spoke:

"Your not a doctor are you?" She said, more than asked, still laughing. "I didn't think so." She was still giggling. Skyheed laughed nervously. "So, stranger, what is your name?"

"My name?" Skyheed froze, what was he to say? "My name is Ferran, miss." He replied, feeling rather pleased with himself, although he made a mental note to try and remember that. Ava smiled and rubbed her eyes before opening them ever so slightly. Skyheed smiled as she blinked a few times causing her to open them fully.

"Well hello blue eyes." She said, smiling at _Ferran_. Skyheed... _Ferran_... Couldn't help but bow his head slightly and let his cheeks go a little red. Ava rubbed her eyes again and adjusted herself on the bed, pulling her knees up into her chest.

Skyheed drew in a breath as if to say something but decided against it when the Doctor walked in. Both of them turned to look at him as he walked casually over, his lab coat swaying behind him.

"Ahh, Miss Ava. It appears your eyes have finally opened." He was jotting down some notes and took a quick glance at Skyheed. Much to his relief the Doctor didn't recognise him. Its amazing what letting your hair down and changing your clothes can do to ones appearance. "Well, everything seems to be fine, you may go home." He tore of a piece of paper and handed it to Ava, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed net to Skyheed. "Take these twice a day." The Doctor picked up a small box of tablets and handed them to Ava also. The Doctor walked off to attend to another patient on the smaller ward. Slowly, Ava stood up with the aid of Skyheed. She held onto his shoulder and he placed arm around her waist to stabilise her further. Ava muttered a thanks before slowly beginning to walk towards the door, still with the help of Skyheed.

A few moments later they got to the door that lead out onto the street and stood momentarily under the shelter of the doorway. The rain had started again, throwing itself down onto the pavement and scattering into puddles that covered the ground.

"I'll walk you home." Skyheed said to Ava, taking his jacket off and placing it over Ava's shoulders. She didn't protest much to Skyheed's joy, she merely walked closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulder. The rain was really throwing it down and by the time they reached the outside of Ava's apartment, Skyheed's hair was drenched and sticking to his face. Ava turned around and smiled at the soaked _Ferran_. She handed him his jacket and moved a piece of hair that was stuck to the side of his cheek back behind his ear. He smiled and caught her hand in his just as it was retreating from his face and simply smiled.

"Well, Ferran. See you around." She said, gently kissing Skyheed on the cheek. Ava then turned around and gave a slight wave to the backing _Ferran _before closing her door, leaving him alone in the rain.

Skyheed stood there for a few moments before throwing his jacket casually over his shoulder and walking down the street, back towards the palace, where he would have to get back to his chamber without being noticed in the attire he was wearing. _This would be fun._ Skyheed had experience in running away from the Chancellor. As a child of seven he used to run down the many corridors of the palace away from Ruskin so he wouldn't have to have a hair cut or eat his green beans. The rain was sending droplets down Skyheed's face, close to his eyes, almost resembling tears as his remembered his past. His brisk walked slowed down and he found himself just strolling through the streets of Aeropa, watching families usher their children inside to keep them from catching a cold. It painfully reminded him of his parents and how they used to treat him. Never did they say that he should come in because he might catch a cold. Never did they warn him that fire burned or that knives cut. He found out the hard way. A scar down his arm confirmed the knife incident at the age of five and the burn marks on his back told the story of what fire can do when played with. Still Skyheed walked through the streets in the pouring rain, which had soaked through his t-shirt causing it to stick to the sleek curves of his usually hidden toned chest. He was now gaining on the palace and the memories of his parents were getting hard to bear. Carefully he sat into one of the statues alcoves and curled up in a ball, resting his head on his knees, allowing the tears to stroll down his cheeks. The ever-painfull memory's of his parents were flooding back:

"_Dad? Daddy? Can we go and watch the planes fly?" Skyheed asked his father, jumping up and down excitedly at the age of five. _

"_Not now!" His father shouted, dark eyes piercing Skyheed's innocent blue ones, frightening the poor boy into a corner. His mother walked in at this point and as usual, she ignored her son. She had no interest in him. Both of his parents were stood on the balcony in the main chamber of the Palace, overlooking the city they ran. People were on the streets and children were starving and dying from malnutrition, orphaned because of the preventable death of their parents. Some days, Skyheed found himself wishing he could play with them, maybe it would make them happier and he would be happy too. So, gaining all the courage he had left in that skinny body of his, he walked over to his parents._

"_Mummy? Daddy? Can I go and play with them?" He asked, twiddling his thumbs while looking through the bars of the balcony, since he wasn't tall enough to see over the top. He received disgusted looks from both of them and his father began to shout demoniacally at the small boy. Frightened beyond known comprehension, little Skyheed ran out of the chamber and down the corridor, edged on by the bellowing voice of his father. His small legs were moving at their full capability by the time he reached the alcove just outside, where he sat and cried to himself until his father calmed down, or until he was collected and smacked over the back of the ears. Usually, Chancellor Ruskin would come and find him in that very place and pick him up into his younger arms and carry him to his chamber. Where they would draw and generally enjoy each others company. In a way, Skyheed looked up to Chancellor Ruskin as some sort of adoptive father. He was always there for him and Ruskin knew at that point that he would always be there for this poor boy, even when he grew up to be the man he was destined to be: at the head of Aeropa. It was at he age of seven that Skyheed received the news of his parents death. They were ambushed by Eco Pirates while flying to a small island off the Brink in a small plane. Nothing was ever found of the plane, not even pieces of scrap metal. Although Skyheed had a rough time with his parents, this didn't stop his hidden love for them shining through when he received the news. The young boy cried for days on end. He was so young... and now due to the unfortunate event, he was now left as the heir of Aeropa. Chancellor Ruskin made most of the important decisions up until Skyheed reached the age of sixteen. At that age, Chancellor Ruskin began to teach Skyheed everything he needed to know about running a city and how to defend his people. It was at this time that Skyheed made the promise to himself that he would not allow any of his people to live on the streets nor would children be left homeless due to parents deaths. It was on his first day running Aeropa on his own that he opened the orphanage down in the lower town. He knew how those children felt. _

The painful memories were interrupted when a hand rested itself onto Skyheed's shoulder. In response, Skyheed lifted up his head and looked at the face of Chancellor Ruskin. Just like all those years ago, Ruskin had found Skyheed in the same alcove as he used to when he was just a small boy. Skyheed's hair was stuck to his back and to his face by a mix between rainwater and tears, making him look a pitiful sight. Ruskin frowned as if to ask what he was doing here dressed like that and all Skyheed did was rest his head back onto his knees.

"Oh, Sir." Ruskin said, lowering himself onto the ground next to his superior, placing his arm around his shoulders. "What ever is the matter?" Nothing needed to be said on Skyheed's part, as his face said everything. After a few moments and a couple of muttered phrases from Skyheed, both of them strolled back into the palace. Ruskin left Skyheed to get changed back into his usual attire and met him in the main chamber afterwards. Nothing was said between them. Skyheed stood on the very balcony he was reminiscing about earlier, only today, all those years later, he could see over the top and could fully appreciate the view of the city he had cared for since the delicate age of sixteen. Ruskin left Skyheed alone, he knew that he had been out and he knew where he had been too. Skyheed had forgotten in his love-struck mind that the library was adjacent to the infirmary and where Ruskin was sat, he could see Skyheed sat with the young woman. As for the disguise, Skyheed couldn't fool Ruskin, he had known him from far too young an age to pull the wool over his eyes and Skyheed knew that deep down.

Eventually, Skyheed pulled his eyes from the view and moved back inside, where he sat down at the white piano and began to play for the first time since his eighteenth birthday. He knew that Ruskin knew about his little adventure and crush, he couldn't hide anything like that from that old coot. The soft music soothed Skyheed's thoughts and made him think a little clearer. Its not fair on Ava to lie to her... Come to think of it, its just downright ungentlemanly. So, after finishing the piece he was playing he got up and walked to his chamber, smiling to himself. As he got in there, he threw his jacket down onto his bed along with his waistcoat and unbuttoned his shirt. Finally, he brushed his hair and left it down for a while, allowing it to blow in the gentle wind as he stood on his balcony, leading off from his room. In a way he felt like himself again. While stood there, he decided he would try and tell Ava tomorrow who he really is. But I suppose he would have to keep _Ferran_ in order to go around town with her, if she still wanted to see him. Skyheed sighed and his fingers found the spot in which Ava had kissed him on his cheek.

_Who knows what tomorrow will bring._


	4. Sodding Rain

_**Sodding Rain**_

"_Daddy! I didn't mean to! Daddy... NOOO!" Cried a small voice. A young child was being dragged from his room and thrown out onto the streets laying before the palace. The poor boy had merely drawn a picture and given it to one of the many maids within the palace walls. He had picked her simply because every time he fell over and grazed his knee, she was there with a bandage and a smile. This, however did not go down well with his father, and for this he was thrown out onto the street to think about what he had done. In an ideal world, he could of gone off to play with the children of the nearby streets but if he was caught, he would be punished further. _

_The small boy wandered through the nearby streets not making eye contact with anyone, they all knew why he was there. His fathers disciplinary measures were well known throughout Aeropa and nearly every woman with small children wished they could pick up the small boy and care for him as their own. Eventually, he came to a fountain in the middle of one of the streets. The fountain was one of his favourites; surrounded by statues holding orbs of sorts. Its shallow water always brightened the eyes of the boy. Smiling for the first time in a while, he pulled out a shiny coin from his pocket and held it for a few seconds, making a wish. He then tossed it into the water and looked around. **I wish Daddy would be nice.**_

"_Skyheed?" A voice called, and the small boy turned around, pulling his gaze away from the shiny blue water. There was Chancellor Ruskin again, holding out his hand to take him back to the palace. After walking back, Ruskin left Skyheed in his bedroom, so he could play with his toys. But the joy was short-lived. His father came barging into the boys room, screaming and shouting waving his hands in the air and threatening his child with a fist. Skyheed stayed in the cupboard he was hidden in all night, crying himself to sleep. **Why Daddy?**_

Skyheed sat bolt upright in bed, beads of sweat scattered his forehead and chest, breathing irregular and desperate. He lifted his hand and rubbed his eyes. Why were his memories haunting him so much these past few days? For so many years he had forgotten about his childhood, and yet at this seemingly random time it chooses to show itself, in dreams or thoughts. _Either way was not welcome._ He chose to forget for a reason. He told himself never to dwell on the past, only to look forward. After a few moments to regain he regular breathing pattern Skyheed lay back down, staring at the ceiling above him through the darkness of the room. After a sigh escaped his lips, he turned to the clock that was on his bedside table and read the time. _2:30am._ A sarcastic scoff was produced by a now wide awake Skyheed as he turned away in disgust at the time. _For crying out loud let me sleep!_

Thoughts began to fill Skyheed's head as his lay there staring aimlessly into the darkness lay before him. _If I tell Ava who I am... it might ruin everything... but she seems pretty happy with the fact that Ferran is a lot like her. What if..._ He stopped. A thought came into his head that made a shiver run down his spine. _What if he left _the_ palace and lived as Ferran? Would Ava then let him into her life? Then would he be able to tell her who he really is and a fairytale ending be lain before them? _It all seemed so unlikely but the slight chance that it would work was still there and this made Skyheed's heart race. _But would would he leave behind?_ _The palace life... the Chancellor who cared for him... his people... _It was all a risk worth taking, and maybe while he was taking on a different identity, he could actually see what happens within the city walls, maybe even hunt down a few pirates himself. The more Skyheed thought about it the more he grew excited. He would never leave the Palace and his duties for more than a week, that would be his time limit to decide whether Ava was truly the right person for him and whether or not she would react positively to his sudden confession to being the Duke of Aeropa. So many thoughts were running through his head it was making his temples throb. _The Chancellor could handle the city for a week, surely! But what would the council think? _By this point, he no longer cared, he would only be gone for a week and if they asked where he had been, he would merely say that he had some personal matters to tend to.

Full of excitement and anticipation, Skyheed threw his feet off the bed and walked briskly over to his wardrobe, where he pulled out some of his more casual clothes and threw them into a pile on his bed. Jeans, shirts, smarter looking shirts and plain tops all made it onto the pile, followed by a few different pairs of boots and trainers and a few pairs of plain slacks. He then proceeded to drag the suitcase from under his bed and pack everything into it, including a hairbrush and any other necessities. Skyheed then dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, pulled on a pair of boots and slid on a black jacket. Lastly, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and with one swift movement, removed the hair-tie that bound his hair up. _This was it._ Just before leaving he jotted a note down for the chancellor then left silently through the door, dragging his suitcase behind him.

_Chancellor,  
__I apologise for my irrational behaviour but  
__I believe it to be necessary.  
__I'm sure you know of one or two reasons  
__already but I promise you that there is much more contributing to  
__it than may first appear clear to your eyes.  
__I understand that it may seem that I am deserting the council and indeed  
__Aeropa itself but I assure you that I will be back in no less than  
__a week.  
__My Apologies,  
__Duke Skyheed. _

_**

* * *

**_

"Sodding Rain." Skyheed muttered as he wandered through the street dragging his suitcase behind him. A week. Was a week really enough? He would have to get a job and of course somewhere to stay. Then it occurred to him while walking past a drunken man; the Wayward Vesper was always looking for new barmen or waiters and they had rooms available too. Half of your wage was kept for boarding fees and the other half you could use for your own reasons, since you could eat on site. It seemed to be the perfect opportunity, so as he did just a few nights ago as Skyheed, _Ferran _made his way towards the Bar.

The streets were more crowded than what he had first thought, especially at this time in the morning. Skyheed's watch told him it was merely a quarter-past four. Ten minutes of walking in the pouring rain brought him to a smaller street, but something in the street made Skyheed stop in his tracks. There in front of him was the very fountain that he tossed a coin into all those years ago. Its statues were kept in incredible condition and everything about it was exactly as he remembered. _Its no use dwelling on the past._

The Wayward Vesper was now in sight and it seemed rather busy for some reason. It was incomprehensible how some people managed to drink into the early hours of the morning and still find their way home. Carefully, Skyheed weaved through the small group of people who were watching a drunken one-on-one fight take place and made his way into the bar where he was greeted by something much more surprising for such an upper-class bar. There before him was what appeared to be some sort of knife fight between two men. Skyheed thought that with the uniforms they were wearing, they must have been pilots. But there was no time to ponder over why they were doing since the owner of the bar had spotted him with his suitcase and was beckoning him over.

"Why, hello sir. Looking for a place to stay?" The tall, blonde-haired man asked, polishing the bar.

"Indeed I am." Skyheed replied, it seems his accent wasn't going to be too much of a problem around these parts anyway.

"What's your name lad? I'll scribble your name onto our waiters list and you can have room 12." He was certainly quick in making a decision whether he liked the look of him or not. He knew as a fact that getting hired in this place was supposed to be one of the hardest places to do so.

"Ferran, sir." Skyheed said, smiling to himself. It felt odd to be calling other people 'sir' and not be called it himself.

"Right, Ferran. I'll take your suitcase upstairs. Your first job it to break up the fight and remove them from the bar. Off you go." Skyheed's face was a picture. As a teen of nineteen he used to do a bit of fighting for self defence reasons but nothing to this extent. He didn't even have time to object to the matter as the landlord was already through the door behind the bar with his case.

Skyheed turned around to see that the fight was getting rather out of hand and more deadly than he had first thought. One of the supposed pilots was now bleeding rather heavily from his arm and his friends were trying to get him to give in and go home. In pure male fashion he was refusing to bruise his pride and elected to stay atop the table with his enemy in front. Skyheed removed his jacket and heard a few whistles from his left, where a few women were sat with cocktails. He sent them a flirtatious smile and picked up a drinks tray. It seems he looked a lot better in white, it seemed to show off the colour of his hair more.

Slowly, Skyheed made his way towards the two fighters and his reflexes couldn't of reacted sooner when a knife was thrown in his general direction along with a slurred warning. Stuck into the bottom of the drinks tray was one of the knives, protruding from the other side just inches from Skyheed's face. It looked like it was going to be harder than first planned and back-up seemed to be a necessity. So, admitting defeat for just a few moments, Skyheed walked over to the other side of the Bar where he was joined by two other waiters in pretty much the same attire as he. They were all now wielding drinks trays and made their way towards the offenders. The first waiter kicked the table leg causing both men standing atop it to loose their balance and send the knives flying into the air. The other waiter and Skyheed then tackled both men to the ground and then dragged them outside. Almost as soon as they both hit the ground they leaped back up and began to rebel against Skyheed and the other waiter.

The punches thrown weren't very accurate but were forceful. It didn't take long for Skyheed to remember his training at a teen and delivered a smash around his opponents jaw with the side of his foot. In agony, he fell to the ground and then scampered off, admitting defeat. The other waiter wasn't doing to well on his own so Skyheed his apponent up with his leg and the other waiter from earlier smashed a chair over his head when he tried to get back up. The madness was finally over and they went back inside, leaving the now unconscious male to recover in the rain. Skyheed could tell at this early stage that it wasn't going to be easy living here.

The two waiters introduced themselves as Calhoun and Rae. Calhoun was blonde with a slim physique while Rae was quite the opposite, being twice the muscle size of Skyheed and had almost no hair. He looked more like a stereotypical bouncer than a waiter in an upper-class bar. It seemed he had made two acquaintances already... _Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad..._ But that thought was short-lived when some of the remaining people in the bar began to shout at each other in a disrespectful manor. This wasn't normal for the Wayward Vesper, it was usually a very quite and civil place to have a drink and whatnot.

"This isn't right." The Landlord said, puzzled. Skyheed had made such an appearance with his suitcase when he came in, it must of given the impression that he wasn't from around here. It would be safer to simply play along as if he hadn't set foot in this place before.

"Is it not, sir?" Skyheed asked, linking his hands behind his pack in a smart pose.

"Not at all. You see... Ferran, we are a highly sophisticated establishment. We have even had the likes of the Duke himself in here. As I'm sure you can imagine with that in mind, that we are not the average drunken pub, but a well-to-do Bar." Skyheed nodded along but by the time their concentration had finished, the shouting members of the bar had long passed out and were currently being dragged out by friends.

"I'll leave you to clean up." The landlord said, walking off in the direction of the upstairs rooms. "Oh and Ferran? Try to get some sleep, we open at 1pm." Skyheed smiled in return and turned to face the destruction before him. Smashed glasses and fallen chairs scattered the room and some tables were overturned in the corner. _Not what he was used to at all._

Laughing to himself, Skyheed proceeded to tip some of the tables back up onto their legs and replace the chairs that belonged there. By this point Calhoun and Rae had also joined in, sweeping up glass and replacing chairs. As Skyheed got to taking the now empty beverage glasses out, he noticed something in the bottom of them. His scowl alerted the other two waiters as he held the glass up to the light to get a better look.

"What's wrong?" Rae asked, walking over, his feet creating loud scuffs on the carpet.

"Some sort of residue is in the bottom of the glass." Skyheed replied. Calhoun made his way over too and snatched the glass out of Skyheed's hand. _If only he knew who he was..._

"Lemme see that!" He too inspected the glass and held it up to the light. "My, my. It seems that someone has been spiting drinks." Rae and Skyheed exchanged looks before Calhoun continued. "I know who the bastard was." Skyheed's eyebrows rose at the sound of Calhoun cursing. It had been a long time since he had heard words such as those... mostly from his fathers time. Skyheed looked up to be more of a polite and well-spoken man, but I guess things were different in the suburbs of Aeropa.

"And who might that be?" Skyheed asked, watching Calhoun and Rae exchange knowing looks, one that confirms what each of them were thinking but before any of them could say anything, another voice came from the doorway.

"It was me..." Slurred the drunken man, who was wearing the most ghastly clothes on the planet and had obviously not shaved in a while. The rancid grey stubble was covered in some sort of sticky alcoholic cordial and his clothes were saturated in it also.

"Oh...Raziel... How did I know it would be you." Calhoun laughed to himself. "Your always getting into bloody trouble... and your the only person on the streets of Aeropa."

"Yeh... And I wanna keep it that way... sod 'em all." The man fumbled out of the door and towards whatever his destination was. _What an eventful night._ Calhoun and Rae said goodnight and went upstairs to bed, leaving Skyheed to finish up downstairs. He set out the napkins and whatnot back into their original places and replaced a few of the bottles at the bar before switching off the lights and heading upstairs. _I take it Raziel was an alcoholic...and a proud man, who was glad to be who he was... even if most of his thinking was impaired due to intoxication._

Skyheed's new home was... _Cosy._ Obviously a lot smaller than the palace, the box room had a chest of drawers, a window and a single bed. The colour scheme was a bland brown and the black tiles on the floor were cold on his feet. By this point, Skyheed really didn't care. That of course changed after he lay onto the bed. Almost immediately his back began to hurt and he knew it was going to be a rough night. He was missing the palace already and it felt odd to be going to bed in the middle of the day... The Wayward Vesper opened again at 1pm and the time now was around eight in the morning. _Insane. _As much as Skyheed knew he was going to regret it later on, he decided that he would go out instead of sleeping like everybody else.

Rain. Again. Would it ever stop? Skyheed's white shirt was getting saturated from the rain and his hair was sticking for his face for the fiftieth time this week. Only today the streets seemed to be a little more crowded than usual, especially at this time in the morning. Then it stuck him, some pilots had decided to do an early morning air show for the citizens of Aeropa. _That's where everybody was going. _Chances were that Ava would be there, so, wiping excess water from his nose, Skyheed made his way towards the Lower Hangar. _Ava worked there... so she had to be there._

_**

* * *

**_

Outside, on the section of concrete runway were quite a mass crowd of Aeropans, waiting for the air show to begin. Where they were stood would be the best viewpoint of the skies before them and since it was near the edge of a cliff, it would give the planes plenty of room to manoeuvre close to them, making it feel all the more exciting. Skyheed looked around, but Ava was nowhere in sight at all. One plane took to the skies from the Lower Hangar's launch bay and that gave him an idea.

Skyheed walked into the loading bay where the planes were kept and then launched. It was easy enough to slip past security since they were all too engrossed in the show and it was obvious that he was an Aeropan because of the slight purple tint to his skin. He wandered around for a few minutes until he heard the noise of engines. Turning a corner, Skyheed set his eyes onto his plane which had been needing engine repairs for quite a while and there, fixing it, was Ava. Of course he couldn't tell her that it was his plane... because technically, it wasn't, it was Skyheed's, not Ferran's.

Skyheed walked closer to Ava. His footsteps caused her to remove her welding mask and look towards him, and when her eyes met his, a smile instantly grew across her face.

"Ferran? What are you doing here?" She asked, jumping down from the wing of the plane in which she was perched on to greet him.

"Thought I'd come and watch the planes... and see you of course." Ava's response to this was to kiss him on the cheek and smile.

"N'aw. Well, I finish work in about five if you wanna... I dunno, go for a walk or something?" She was blushing by this point and did a damn good job of covering it up by putting the welding mask back on.

"I would love to." Was his reply, watching her weld the piece of engine back on.

Five minutes later, they were walking down the street with interlinked arms until they came to a seat that was perched on the edge of the promenade overlooking part of The Brink. It was still raining but nobody seemed to care. They sat and simply talked for a while;

"So, Ferran." She began, resting her head on his soaked shoulder. Skyheed put his arm around her and listened further. "What do you work as? You seem to know quite a bit about me and yet I know absolutely nothing about you."

"Well, I work as a waiter in The Wayward Vesper. Nothing special." Was his reply.

"You know, Ferran, you remind me of someone." She said, looking up at him from her awkward angle, just as a plane flew past in a corkscrew. Skyheed could of sworn his heart had a panic attack and leapt up into his mouth.

"Er, really?" He asked, hiding is sudden nerves.

"Yeh...of Duke Skyheed." She was laughing at this point. Skyheed's heart almost stopped, she had seen through his doctor disguise, what if she had seen through this one too?

"What makes you say that?" He asked, suppressing more nerves.

"I don't know... I don't know him personally obviously... But you just remind me of him. No offence, I'm not calling _you_ perfect... but he seems so... perfect, you know? Its hard to explain." She was blushing slightly at this point and Skyheed was laughing inside his head. "I think it might be the fact that he is just so... well spoken. Maybe... Or maybe its because he is really smart and generally handsome... with his blue hair and perfect accent." She was trailing off into a daydream and Skyheed was smiling from all of the compliments, which of course Ava had no idea she was giving. "I really don't know how he does it."

"Does what?" Skyheed asked, he was generally curious on what tangent she was going off on now.

"Runs the entire city." She said, watching one of the fighter planes fire off a few rounds.

"He's not alone up there, he has the council too." Skyheed said, being careful to select words that would make it seem like common knowledge.

"Yeh I know... I don't think I could cope with such pressures. Always having to look your best and meeting so many deadlines and demands... Must be pretty hard. And the fact he is a single man too..." She was fading off in mid sentence again.

"I suppose so, but what's that go to do with being single?" Skyheed asked, wiping a droplet of rain from the end of his nose.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe it would help, having someone to go back to after a long stressful day to snuggle up to in bed and feel loved." _If only you knew dear Ava, that that is what I have longed for for oh so long. Someone to actually be there for me... to love me. But it seems you have already made up your mind that Palace life is not for you, a decision many women in Aeropa would not take so lightly. Oh Ava..._ "Ferran? You alright? You've gone awfully quiet."

"I'm fine." He replied, both standing up and walking back towards the Hangar.

"Why do my breaks go really quickly when I actually have something to do?" Ava joked.

"Augh. Don't they always?" Skyheed said, escorting her back into the Hangar.

"Well, I guess I'll see you soon?" Ava said more than asked, before disappearing behind a door.

Skyheed walked off, back down the street he came from and towards The Wayward Vesper. Halfway down the street he heard the sound of a bird signalling its presence. With not much time to react, a bird swooped over his head and landed on the arm of a statue in front of him, holding a letter within its talons. Carefully, when nobody was looking, Skyheed removed the letter and read it to himself;

_Sir,  
__I suppose all I can do is try to understand,  
__and look forward to your return.  
__Take care,  
__Chancellor Ruskin._

Skyheed smiled and gave the letter back to the bird, who proceeded to drop it into a small flame that was lit near the doorway of an old woman's house, on a candle. The letter burned up almost instantly and gave Skyheed the sense that he was safe for a little longer. For now, he would just play his life as Ferran and maybe sometime in the near future, he would admit to Ava that he was in fact Duke Skyheed. His thoughts were blown out of the window and indeed out of his mind when he was hit over the back of the head with a glass bottle just inside of The Wayward Vesper. Immediately he turned around to see Raziel. Before Skyheed could open his mouth to say anything, Raziel smashed a bottle over Skyheed's head.

_All that could be heard was the sound of a body hitting the floor._

_

* * *

Thank you my only reviewer! I was going to go on strike with this fic until i got a review but i guess you saved the fic! WOOO! The more reviews i get the quicker the chapters will be put up. So it would be great if you could review, its a great motivation item! Thanks again and enjoy this extended chapter which was written in only 2 days :) xx_


	5. It Can't Be

_**It can't be...**_

Ava was at home for the day. She hadn't had a very good nights sleep, so her plan was to stay in her pyjama's and watch movies, curled up on her sofa. _Finally a day off._ Ava had just got comfortable under her covers on the sofa and switched on a movie when the doorbell rang. She ignored it at first but when the person on the other side of the door rang it persistently or the following five minutes she had no choice but to answer it. On the other side of the door was not quite what she was expecting. Stood there was an old drunken man with a grin plastered over his face.

"Hello my lovely." He said, leaning on the door frame. Ava attempted to shut the door but he was in the way. "Now, now. Lets not get assy. My name is Raziel and I have trapped someone you may (hiccup) find of interest." He was swaying unsteadily by this point and Ava was wondering whether he was telling the truth or not. She had heard of Raziel from some people down at the hangar and apparently, although intoxicated, the old man spoke sense.

"Oh?" She asked, genuinely interested at this point.

"I have Duke Skyheed locked in the hangar... unconscious!" He was giggling hysterically.

"WHAT? Are you insane?" She shouted, dragging the man into the hallway and shutting the door. If anyone heard this she and he would be arrested for treason.

"Yes, maybe I am insane." Raziel laughed. "But it seems there has been a little white lie."

"What do you mean?" She asked, walking into her bathroom to throw on her flying slacks and a black jacket, much like that of Skyheed's only more fitting.

"I mean that I have found out something about your sweetheart, Ferran." A devilish smirk was etched across his face.

"What?" Ava was fully curious now and had no idea what was about to be said.

"Well, young Ava." Raziel staggered towards her and grabbed her wrist. "You see, I seem to of found out something rather interesting about young mister _Ferran_." He tightened his grip on her wrist, causing her to gasp in pain. "You see, after I smashed poor Ferran over the head in the Wayward Vesper with a bottle I noticed something on his shoulder, through a bit of torn material. (hiccup) What I noticed was the end of what seemed to be a burn scar and we all know that Duke Skyheed is the only one who has scars running up his back. So, I shredded the back of his shirt with my broken bottle and there they were, Skyheed's burn scars twisting up his back in all sorts of patterns."

"But... it cant be!" She protested, causing Raziel to tighten his grip on her wrist. She squealed as a harsh shooting pain shot up her arm and made her feel dizzy.

"Well, you'll be able to see for yourself." His smirk vanished and was replaced with a blank expression with hatred in his eyes.

"What do you mean? Look sir, I don't want to get into this mess. Its my day off and I intend so have a nice one." Raziel's drunken temper then took the better of him and he twisted Ava's arm so she has her back to him, with her arm pinned to her shoulder blade, painfully. "Please sir!" She begged.

"Sorry. But it seems you have a date with the Duke." His evil tone of voice was the last thing Ava heard before her head was smashed involuntarily up against the wall, rendering her unconscious.

_**

* * *

**_

Ava's head was spinning violently as she regained consciousness. For a few moments she didn't dare to open her eyes, afraid at what she might see. After those few moments and listening out for any unfamiliar noises, she did eventually open her eyes only to see the Hangar before her. As usual, nobody was in today, it was the universal day off and nobody even comes near the Hangar. Ava sat up and surveyed her surroundings. Everything seemed vaguely normal, it was all in its usual place and Duke Skyheed's plane was still on the repair pad. Standing, Ava steadied herself and rubbed her head. There was a definite lump on her head where she had been smashed against the wall. Another thought crossed her mind as she timidly walked around the dimly lit Hangar, it seemed only the emergency lighting was on, which suggested that the power had been cut. And where was Raziel? Had he just upped and left? Ava continued to walk around, finding that almost all of the doors were locked. In a last attempt she tried the parts room, which was usually filled with boxes of spare parts and general items used to fix planes. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked, so she walked in.

The room was L-Shaped and you couldn't see around the corner from where Ava was standing. Her hope was that someone had left their phone in there, which people usually did on a regular basis, but it seemed people weren't being as forgetful as they had been before, since there wasn't one there. What was there though was something Ava's mind was not prepared for. Slouched up against the far wall was Ferran. His characteristically fine clothes were bloodied and stained and his sleek hair was stuck together by the presence of both dry and fresh blood. Ava took a few steps forwards before stopping, raising her right hand to catch the gasp that escaped her lips. Ferran's face had received cuts upon his cheek and his hands were painfully bound behind his back. Ava slowly took steps towards the unconscious man, but as she got closer to the man she thought she knew, she noticed what Raziel was talking about earlier. Through the torn pieces of white shirt, you could see the scarring caused by burns. Ava didn't quite know how to act, she loved Ferran, even if she hid it most of the time and only knew him for a few days. At first she thought it might of just been a stupid crush but the fact it kept her awake for the entirety of last night made it seem that it was something much more. But will that change now? There _is _no Ferran... Lay there before her on the floor looking a complete state and making Ava want to cry was Duke Skyheed... not the man she came to know as _Ferran_.

Carefully, she lowered herself down next to the pitiful mess of a man and leant him forward so she could access the rope bounding his hands behind his back. Slowly, the rope came free revealing severe rope burn and dried blood. Ava leant Skyheed back up against the wall and moved a stray piece of hair out of his face. There were pieces of glass stuck in his arm from where Raziel had smashed the bottle over his head and the little shards had gone flying. Ava really didn't know what to do.

After sitting there for a few moments staring at the unconscious Skyheed, her alerts were set on high when she heard footsteps. The next thing she knew was the door slammed shut and locked. Ava looked like a rabbit caught in headlights and leapt up to see if she could see the person who had done this, but there was nobody outside of the door. Much to her surprise, the small glass window in the door began to fog over and the temperature dropped in there. _Someone had rigged the air conditioning._ If they didn't get out soon, the temperature would drop well below a survivable level and both of them would be found frozen.

Ava could now see her breath as she breathed out and Skyheed had began to breathe much more slowly than before. Somehow she had to keep them both warm. She grabbed the thin, oil covered sheets in the corner of the room and sat next to Skyheed, wrapping his arm around her and lying on his chest she put the sheets over them. Hopefully, this would retain some body heat and she had read in a book that sharing body heat is the best thing to do when caught outside in freezing weather.

_The temperature continued to drop and their breathing rates began to fall. The last thing Ava saw was Raziel laughing from outside of the door, staring in before blacking out... Was that the last time Skyheed and Ava will ever see each other? Is it a scene of Romeo and Juliet just waiting to be discovered tomorrow morning? _

_"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."_

_-Shakespeare_


	6. What Must Be Shall Be

_**What Must Be Shall Be**_

A sickening dizziness swept over Skyheed as his conciseness slowly regained. As much as he tried to open his eyes he was unable to. There was a distinct cold feeling in his numb fingers and it travelled uncomfortably up into his chest, but it was most intense on the end of his ears. He couldn't remember anything, the only thing he could currently think about was the dull pain that was aching in his chest and the back of his head. Skyheed lay there for a few moments, waiting for his eyes to respond to his pleading. It took a while, but he was eventually able to open them. What greeted him was not what he expected. He had no idea where he was, but what he did know was that the air conditioning was unnecessarily high and that there was a jacket left on the floor near the door. The jacket looked familiar to Skyheed but his sudden case of amnesia made it difficult for him to recall where he had seen it before.

Skyheed stared at the jacket for a few moments, then it clicked. The jacket belonged to Raziel, he knew this because it was stained in alcohol and he remembered seeing him in it_... but when?_ The more Skyheed thought about it the more it was giving him a headache..._or was that the temperatures fault?_ His head was spinning so much he felt as if he was going to vomit. That feeling subsided when he realised that one side of his body was warmer than the other. After a minute or two of gaining energy, Skyheed looked down towards the source of warmth. Underneath the thin sheets was another person, curled up into a ball, snuggled into his side. It didn't register for a short space of time due to the freezing cold temperatures impairing his thinking, but after staring at the person for a while, it finally did. _Ava._

Many a question flew through his frozen mind; _Why was she there? How did she get here? Is she okay? What happened?_ Skyheed forced all of those thoughts out of his mind and checked to see if she was alive, as morbid as it was. Thankfully, she was breathing but she was deadly pale and it was obvious that the cold was affecting her more than it was affecting him. In a sense, he was warm. Skyheed was definitely more muscle-bound than Ava and the masses of dark eco coursing through his blood helped keep him warm in the coldest of temperatures. Ava on the other-hand was virtually unchanged by the little amount of eco that she received from the injection cycle and therefore was pretty much still a normal human being, making her very vulnerable to cold temperatures. Skyheed adjusted from his leaning position to sitting upright. Getting to his feet, Skyheed wrapped Ava in the sheets while he looked for a way out, at least that way she would be kind of protected against the harsh cold inside the room. It didn't take long for him to find the door and discover that it was locked. It didn't prove to be much of a problem to him though, as he simply placed his hand over the lock and sent a small bolt of dark eco through it, severing any locking mechanisms inside. The door swung open and Skyheed surveyed the next room before going back and scooping Ava up into his arms.

The following room seemed familiar to Skyheed. He remembered meeting Ava here... _But when?_ He had no idea of the time nor date. Skyheed then spotted another door and made his way towards it, kicking it open with his leg, being careful not to drop Ava in the process. They were now in the main foyer of the Hangar, out of the holding room where the planes were and most certainly out of the damned parts room. The emergency lighting was on and this enabled Skyheed to see more than he could before. The main entrance was obviously locked and there was no other exit known to Skyheed, so, he placed Ava down next to some warm pipes and walked towards the door. His earlier hypothesis of the door being locked was very wrong indeed. The main entrance door was in fact hanging off its hinges. Skyheed was so preoccupied with the door that he didn't notice Ava was stirring. It wasn't until she coughed that he span around and made his way towards her. Ava was still unconscious but it seemed she was slowly waking from her cold-induced sleep.

Skyheed had Ava in his arms again. He made his way out of the broken door and onto the streets of Aeropa's lower town. As usual, it was still pouring with rain, a familiar thing at this time of year although The Brink's weather was unpredictable at the best of times. It was pitch black outside and the street lamps were shining down onto small patches of pavement, revealing the puddles that lay upon it. The rain was pouring down and soaking the both of them. What was let of Skyheed's shirt was now sopping wet and trickles of water were running down his face and dripping off his nose onto Ava. The rain was getting into the cuts on his head and causing them to sting, let alone the ones down his chest and the small glass shards in his arm. Ava stirred every now and again but nothing that would be classed as waking.

Skyheed wandered the empty streets trying to remember where Ava lived. The smash over the head was really affecting him and it was getting more and more difficult to recall things. By the time Skyheed found her apartment it was around one in the morning. He fished the keys out of Ava's pocket and unlocked the door, being careful not to drop her. It was a tricky manoeuvre all in all. After a bit of a struggle, Skyheed was through the door and he kicked it closed behind him. It was a struggle getting up the stairs, his legs were about ready to give way and Ava was still not showing any signs of waking which worried Skyheed immensely. At the top of the stairs, Skyheed kicked off his boots and then continued to walk into the apartment. It was immensely tidy and minimalistic with clean white walls and simple pine furniture. The simplistic kitchen was open plan with the living room and the bathroom was off to the left. Further in was the bedroom, hidden in the corner.

Skyheed walked into the bedroom and placed Ava carefully onto her bed to wake up. He covered her in a blanket and moved a stray piece of hair out of her pale face. She was wet from the rain but he couldn't help that at the moment, so turning up the thermostat for the heating, Skyheed sat onto the sofa. Soon enough the heating came on and he began to warm up. He sighed before pulling a piece of paper towards him and began scribbling down a note... but dizziness began to take over him and soon enough all he managed to do was write the word "help" onto the paper with the vague address. While lying on the sofa, he whistled for the bird with his eyes closed, hoping that the window was open enough for it to fit through. Skyheed now was semi-conscious and was not fully aware of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the feeling of a bird landing on his chest, snatching the letter out of his hands and flying off.

* * *

"_Chancellor?" The little boy asked._

"_Yes? What's wrong Skyheed?" The Chancellor replied to the small boy, who was sitting on a stool looking out of the window with traces of tears on his face. _

"_Why..." The poor boy couldn't finish his sentence due to choking on fresh tears. The Chancellor took sympathy with the young boy and placed his arm around his small shoulders. The only sound that could be heard from the room filled with ancient scrolls and paperwork was that of a child sobbing and the hushed comforting replies from an elder. "Why... Why did Mummy say that..." He stopped again to allow the tears stream down his pale cheeks. "Why did Mummy say that she didn't love me?" The poor boy sobbed, remembering the past events of the day. His mother had violently told the small boy off for laughing and speaking out of turn and proceeded to tell him that he was a mistake and that she didn't love him. He was merely in the way. This broke the child's heart for the hundredth time. Breaking it into tiny pieces, never to be put back together... or so he believed back then. _

"_Skyheed, what you have to understand is... sometimes..." The Chancellor was struggling to find more comforting words to say. "Sometimes parents say things they don't mean."_

"_But they have said it before, lots of times." The Chancellor's heart was breaking at the sound of his cries. _

"_For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings, that I scorn to change my state with kings." The small boy looked up in wonder at the Chancellor._

"_What does that mean?" He asked, tears stopping. _

"_Well, you'll understand it more when your older but... it means that you would rather love somebody and be with them forever, than be royalty. It was written by a very famous man called Shakespeare, he wrote lots of things." The small boy scrunched up his nose and tried very hard to understand it, but he made nothing of it. "Don't worry about it now, just remember for when your older. Hopefully, It'll help you through a tough time in your life, just like it did for me..." Both stared out of the window, looking intently at the planes taking off and landing from the Hangar in which they were near... The perfect silence was interrupted when the loud voice of Skyheed's father shouted out to him:_

"_Skyheed, get your pathetic little ass here right NOW!" The small boy looked fearfully up into the Chancellor's eyes as if to cry out for help, but the Chancellor knew if he interrupted what was about to happen, he would be killed for treason. A tear escaped Skyheed's eye... _

* * *

_**Darkness surrounding...**_

_**Pain increasing...**_

_**Conciseness escaping...**_

"_Ava...I love you..."_


	7. My Love Lies Bleeding

_**My Loves Lies Bleeding**_

Skyheed woke with a clear head. He had slept rather well considering his injuries and was fully awake for a change. It took a few moments for his surroundings to sink in... but his suspicions were right. There was something definitely different about the room he had woke up in and he was in a bed. Sitting up, Skyheed realised that he was in his own bed in the palace. Relief swept over him when he remembered the letter he had sent. Ruskin must of collected him or something... _but what of Ava?_ Immediately his heart began to race and he leapt out of bed. His head had been taken care of because of its severity but the rest of his wounds had obviously been left, since they were rather sore. Skyheed looked around his quarters for some clothes that he could be seen in around the palace, but all he could find were the black trousers he was currently wearing and a crumpled shirt hung over a chair at his desk. _Where was Ava? What would she say? What if she didn't want to see him any more?_ So many questions were flying through his mind at this point that he didn't notice Chancellor Ruskin come in.

"Sir? How are you feeling?" The chancellor asked, receiving a surprised look from the very pale Skyheed.

"Where is she?" It was all Skyheed could think to say.

"Where is whom, sir?" The chancellor was getting Skyheed's usual attire out of his wardrobe

"You know very well who I'm bloody on about!" Skyheed's response took Ruskin back a bit, his shocked face saying it all.

"I-I'm sorry, My Duke... The young woman who you were found with... we... well.. we left her where she was. The General has locked her in and is planning to pick her up later." His shaky reply told Skyheed that he was feeling rather uncomfortable. Skyheed took a deep breath to calm himself and the dark eco coursing through his veins.

"What do you mean by _pick her up later_?" Skyheed was now staring rather intently at the Chancellor, waiting for the reply. "Chancellor?"

"Well, sir. The General seems to of got it into his head that you were... well... kidnapped." The Chancellor took a step back out of Skyheed's way, since he was rummaging around in the wardrobe frantically.

"You mean he is going to _arrest_ her when the chances are that she has _hypothermia_ is incredibly _**high!**_ Who trained that man? Ouch!" In his temper and frolicking about in the wardrobe, Skyheed had knocked his arm, which still had a few missed pieces of glass stuck in.

"Sir, we should get you sorted out, you were in such a bad state last night he had to pretty much put you straight into bed. We attempted to get most of the glass out of you arm but your body was not reacting helpfully... the dark eco..." The Chancellor stopped talking when he saw that none of the information was actually registering with Skyheed. By this point he had pulled on another white shirt and had let his hair down again. _He was going out._ "Sir? Your not going out in that state... I would strongly recommend..."

"Chancellor..." Skyheed interrupted, placing his hand on the old man's shoulders. " A long time ago, you told me something I have never forgotten and I intend to follow it." There was no anger in Skyheed's eyes any longer and the Chancellor look up to him in a questioning way. _"For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings, that I scorn to change my state with kings._ I would rather be with Ava pretending to be someone who I am not, than be who I am, without her." There was sincerity in Skyheed's eyes, and the Chancellor couldn't help but feel his heart sink. The young man standing in front of him was once the small child he used to comfort on cold rainy evenings. That same young man had one of the harshest childhoods, so weak... so helpless... Yet now, he was one of the strongest and most powerful beings alive with a very strong grasp on the powers dark eco can hold.

"Go..." Was all the Chancellor said as he watched Skyheed dash out of the room, and out of the palace grounds into the all too familiar pouring rain.

_**

* * *

**_

Skyheed didn't care about the rain, his main aim was to get to Ava, whether he was soaking wet or not. As he ran down the streets, they seemed to get longer before his feet. It seemed to take hours, but he eventually came to Ava's door. It was supposed to be daylight, but the sky was as dark as it was at night and the only comfort Skyheed had that Ava was awake was the fact that the lights were shining out of her windows.

He went to knock on the door, but something inside him stopped his fist from making the harsh contact... instead, his palm flattened out onto the door and he rested the side of his head against it, sighing. His heart was pounding within his chest. _Please Ava..._ Skyheed knocked on the door and leant onto the door frame. A few minutes passed and she did not open it. The rain was now pouring from the sky much heavier than it had done over the past few days, and Skyheed's shirt was now pretty much soaked to the point that it was transparent. Skyheed knocked the door only this time there was the sound of shuffling coming from behind it. His heart was racing much faster than before.

"Ava..." Skyheed said, trailing off, unable to finish his sentence.

"Why are you here?" Was her blunt reply from a shaky voice.

"Ava... I..." He was still unable to tell her what he wanted to, for whatever reason, the words simply would not come out of his mouth.

"Just go away..." Her voice sounded as if she was crying.

"Ava... _Please..._" Skyheed himself was now feeling slightly teary... _I don't want to lose her..._

"I know who you are... Why did you lie?" The sound of sniffing could easily be heard from the other side of the door and feeling the sorrow stab at his heart again, Skyheed slid down the door frame holding his chest and leant onto the door itself, sat on the wet ground.

"Ava... I didn't want to... I ..." Still the words would not come out as he wanted them. The simple curse of not being very good at public speaking was now looming over him and he felt frustrated with himself for not being able to say anything to her.

"Skyheed... I suppose I understand why... But it hurts to know that you lied to me... and..." She stopped mid sentence, her voice drowned in tears and the unpreventable urge to cry.

"_Ava... please... I need you...I love you..._" Skyheed himself could not help the tears from strolling down his face. _The rain was now reflecting his mood, as he knew what was coming..._

"My Duke..." She began, almost regaining her voice, "You belong in the palace looking after your people... I... but... Just leave me alone..._Please..._" Skyheed could do nothing more, he said a mere goodbye with his cracking voice and pulled himself off the ground, heading down the street.

The memories of his childhood were once again rushing back to him as he walked solemnly through the rain. The feeling of misunderstanding and rejection had always been present in his life from a young age, but this was much different. This time, he had someone he wanted to protect, not hide from. Just over the past few days, Skyheed had fallen head over heels for the first time in his life and no matter what, he couldn't stop thinking about Ava as he walked through the last few streets leading up to the palace. _If only Ava could be with him._

Skyheed's depression was obvious to the Chancellor the moment he walked through the door soaking wet and covered in the blood from the small shards in his arm which were not removed last night. Skyheed looked pitiful but he didn't seem to care; the only decent thing in his life had just vanished and he was thrown back to his normal life which revolved repetitively around Dark Eco experiments, handling practice and Eco Pirates. The Chancellor guided Skyheed into the infirmary, where he was quickly patched up with bandages and send back to his chambers to dry off and get changed.

"My Duke... I do believe that I have found something rather... _disturbing_ about this young girl, Ava." By this point Skyheed was laying on his bed in a pair of plain black slacks and a white shirt, which he had not yet buttoned up. Unable to find words to say, he merely looked towards the Chancellor as a sign to continue. "Well, sir. I'm not sure that there is an easy way to put this, but our census tells us that her parents were of split personality. Her mother was a faithful Aeropan, but her father was an Eco Pirate of high rankings. He met her mother when one of out ships arrived at a crash site. He had been flying the plane and when her mother began to attack, being in our air force, of course his plane went down and she went looking for the wreck. What she found was the unconscious body of Ava's _father._ We never saw her again. Most pilots at the time presumed that she had indeed left Aeropa where she had grown up and lived her life within the perimeters of piracy. It was at this point that they had Ava and sadly her mother was killed when Ava was aged eight in a plane crash. The file says that Ava was sent to live with her Grandmother here in Aeropa up until she died when Ava was fifteen. As of then, she looked after herself as far as we know, but nothing states that she lived in Aeropa all the time in between now and her fifteenth birthday. As far as we know, her father is still alive." Skyheed was now stood up and was interested in the facts that were now coming to light.

"Intriguing..." Skyheed said, walking towards his desk and pulling out a piece of paper.

_Ava,_

_You must understand that I sincerely do apologise for all of this mess that I have caused for the both of us. I suppose Ferran was merely a disguise from the rest of the world, I did not want to deceive you in any way. You have t understand that I did it because of safety reasons. I had hoped that my position in society and whatnot would not affect anything, but it seems it has. Ava, the love that I showed you was not part of the disguise. I sincerely love you, Ava, and if it means I have to live my life as Ferran to be with you, then so be it._

_An old Chancellor once told me something very wise, and it has taken me up until now to truly understand its pure meaning... and so I shall use it as a closure of this letter. _

_**For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings, that I scorn to change my state with kings.**_

_Skyheed. x_

Skyheed stood up and walked towards the window. A few seconds later, his faithful bird flew to the windowsill and took the letter out of his hands and flew off towards the lower town. Skyheed sighed and walked out of the room after the Chancellor, he had a few loose ends that needed tying up over the fact that the General was now planning to arrest Ava and that Raziel needed to be locked up because of his pure insanity, what a fun day it was going to be.

_**

* * *

**_

" I hereby open the council. The subject today shall be that of Miss Ava Ashwin for her acts of treason." The council member had a face like it had just been slapped with some sort of fish and after his short speech, he sat down on his seat.  
"She had nothing to do with it." Skyheed spoke, standing up to the shock of most of the council members. For once, he was speaking up. "The actual suspect is a certain homeless man who goes by the name of Raziel. His coat is currently in the Lower Hangar where I was until Miss Ava came in, she helped me. There was no treason committed on her part." Skyheed walked over to the window where he looked out at the rain, which for the first time in a few days, was actually stopping. Silence crept over the council as it was dismissed and the General was sent to search for Raziel.

The rest of the day was nothing special, anyone would think that everything was back to normal, but Skyheed was obviously not the same inside. He had not been using Dark Eco for some time now and he was growing paler by the hour. Chancellor Ruskin had noticed and on the way back to his chambers, he pulled Skyheed to one side.

"Sir. Your looking awfully pale, is everything okay? Do you have enough eco?" The Chancellor was very concerned.  
"No, I am not fine... and no I don't ave enough eco. To be quite fair, Chancellor, I no longer care." Skyheed's depressed face was all that the Chancellor needed to confirm his Duke's feelings. There was nothing more said and they parted ways. The Chancellor was meeting another member of the council down in the Wayward Vesper that night and he was off to grab his jacket. Skyheed on the other hand, was on his way to his chambers, where he decided he would spend the rest of the week.

Skyheed was laying face down on his bed with a pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the world. There was the sound of a bird flying around his room, and only while this was happening, did Skyheed lift his head up and throw off the pillow. Making a mess of his desk was the bird he uses to send letters around the city and within its talons was a small envelope, black in colour with a silver coloured address written upon it. He approached the bird and took the envelope from it, leaping back onto his bed and leaning on the pillows at the top. Carefully, with shaking hands, he opened it, revealing a black piece of paper with silvery writing, swirling in a calligraphic manner.

_Skyheed,  
I suppose you know when your life is on the downhill when you reflect on all of the dead end jobs you've been in._

_The information in which you discovered about me is only correct up to the age of fifteen, but I suppose its only fair that you know more since I will be leaving shortly in an attempt to find my father, as much as it will pain me to leave Aeropa._

_Where to begin... Well I spent the first few years of my life after the age of sixteen as a mechanic in Kras City. For the first few weeks I worked randomly wherever I could find the work, mainly in the pit stops and painting the commercial vehicles. It was after this that some racer named Razer notices me and decided to give me a job working for him and so I became part of Mizo's Dream Team. Yeh, it was fun for the first couple of weeks, just fixing up the cars and painting them as required. But after those few short weeks, I was treated rather badly, threatened on a daily basis and it was all too much for such a simple job. There were upsides, obviously. The constant electric atmosphere in Kras was incredible and the amount of people who showed up to the races just made you feel appreciated. It was awkward, though, when I was asked by fans and onlookers what it was like to work for one of the most successful racing teams. Of course, I had to say that it was simply incredible otherwise I would have been severely hurt for making the team look bad. Every morning I work up to the sound of gunshots and murder plastered all over the news, and decided that I needed a way out. So one day, I didn't turn up at the garage, I just left. A 'friend' had told me that the Krimzon Guard were in the area looking for potential recruits, so, I decided to enquire._

_I heard of the Krimzon guard around, but not enough to know much about them. They took one look at me and signed me up, purely because of my fitness at the young age of seventeen. What a bloody mistake that was. The training was enough to kill you because of its intensity, but after surviving that, I was incredibly fit and had the body to show for it too. This, of course made me feel rather good about myself, but I had no idea what was to come. Being on the lowest ranking, I was not respected in the slightest. Constantly patrolling the sewer section was disgusting and on the odd day were I could actually patrol around the decent parts of the city, there was never anything happening, since all of the people in Haven City were too scared to do anything. It all got worse when the worst of us were selected to scout out the Metal Head Nest. Of course, being low ranking, I was selected along with seven males around the age of twenty-five to do it. We were ill prepared with mere pistols and limited ammo, but still, we had no choice. If we didn't go, we would risk being shot for disobeying orders. I thought Kras City was tough, but this took the biscuit. Only two of us emerged alive from that mission, we were ambushed by metal heads and pretty much fought for our lives that day. It would have been better for me to die, as the next day, myself and the male which survived were summoned to the Baron, where we were dramatically promoted to Commander. That was yet another mistake, I was only 19. The missions we were sent on were just as bad as before, only this time we had the pathetic backsides of the lower ranks slowing us down, apparently protecting us. Many a mission passed and I was getting hurt rather badly on a regular basis. Being shot and stabbed seemed to become a normal thing and I was in and out of the infirmary almost every other day. One day, after a particularly bad day I was in the local saloon, The Hip Hog Heaven, when I was offered a plane ticked to Aeropa. Looking at the life I had currently and the life I could potentially have... well... there was no questioning it. I brought the ticket and quit my job in the KG, which wasn't as easy as I thought. The rumour of "once in the KG, always in the KG" seemed to be awfully true to some degree and in the end, I had to give all of my savings up in order to pay my way out. Fantastic._

_My journey to Aeropa was not a comfortable one, it has to be said. The plane I was in had to be over seventy years old and once we hi the crosswinds flying off the Brink, we were blown all over the place, rendering us off course and making me feel rather ill. Upon arrival, I had nothing to my name, only battle scars from the KG and lack of confidence from the bullying during my stay in Kras. I was a wreck. _

_In a last ditch attempt of normal life, I resorted back to my initial skills of mechanics. Thankfully, I was accepted in one of the small hangars; where I was taught the basics of plane mechanics and worked on public planes which were hired all year around. A few months passed and I slowly moves up the ladder, ending up with me working in the Lower Hangar, painting and working on the planes of the Aeropan Army and yourself. _

_Although the act of treason has been lifted from my name, it still does not give me my job back in the Lower Hangar. Indeed I have now lost the normal life I have always longed for, but I have other ways now. Since I can no longer survive in Aeropa, I am leaving to find my father somewhere in the skies over the Brink if he is indeed still alive. _

_So, as you can see, my life has always been full of disappointment and pain. What I have to say is... I still love you Skyheed, no matter who you are. But nothing can ever come of it because of our social status'. Your the Duke of Aeropa, royalty. Me? I'm half pirate half eco-freak trying to fit into the world. _

_By the time you receive this letter I would of left in the small plane I brought a few weeks back. Take care Skyheed, and I love you._

_Ava x_

Skyheed's heart sank. His one true love in life was now probably half way across the Brink in search for her Pirate father. A horrible pain shot through his heart, just like the ones he received when he had his first Dark Eco Injection Cycles. Then... It came to him. All of the memories were coming back to him because of Ava. For the first time in his life he felt loved by somebody, yet his body wanted to rebel by sending him bad memories. Now... he had got over them and there were no more which he could remember, as hard as he tried. All that was left was his love for Ava and his Eco twisting inside of him.

It was at this point that Skyheed truly thought over the Shakespearian quote. There was only one way of confirming it with himself, so he threw on a baggy white shirt with long sleeves and a pair of brown slacks, a pair of knee length black boots and finally a belt. Without a backward glance, Skyheed walked down to the Lower Hangar and used the computer to put his plane on the launching grid. It was one of his older planes that hadn't seen the light of day for a few days and not many people knew that he had it... great for not being detected. _The Brink awaits..._ he thought before catching his reflection in the windscreen of the plane. He looked a lot like a pirate now... but one thing stood in his way._ His hair._ Before launching off the runway and into the bright midday sun, Skyheed took a pair of scissors into his hands... and a mass if sleek, blue hair fell to his feet.


	8. Over The Brink

_**SURPRISE CHAPTER! Yaaay! xD I'm dedicating this chapter to The Wayward Whisperer because I am… no real reason apart from the fact she is awesome. I'll update more often if you review people, and I warn you… theres a bit of ghostly activity in this 'un. xD**_

* * *

_**Over The Brink**_

_Fog. Rain. Sleet. _That's all Skyheed had seen for the past 2 hours, flying away from Aeropa. He hadn't seen the ground for a while either… Sighing, he stared out of the window at the poor visibility. Usually, he would be warned not to fly in such weather because of the dangers, but due to the circumstances, he didn't care. Never mind Ferran… he was going to need another name… and this one had to be fool proof and untraceable. The sudden high wind didn't help his concentration and Skyheed wasn't expecting to lose all control of the plane and free-fall for a moment. Cursing under his breath he pulled the plane back into the steady airflow and brought it back under control. _Jack? No… Mark? No… Devean? That works! _Finally he had settled on a name. Now all he had to do was find somewhere to land and begin his investigations. _Wherever Ava was… pirates would obviously be nearby. _He would have to completely change his personality if he didn't want to be discovered. His plan was to somehow merge in with pirates and hopefully come across Ava. Then came the problem of persuading her to come back with him… He wouldn't hide from her… but he would have to try and hide from the pirates and anyone who would suspect anything.

Ten minutes passed and the faint outline of an island became visible in the distance. _Finally. _The journey became very bumpy all of a sudden and Skyheed's eyes widened, as the world finished before him and the Brink was the only thing out there; a collection of floating islands. He manoeuvred the plane towards the nearest island and made and attempt of landing it on the small patch of land that was free from trees and foliage. It went well to the extent that _he _was unharmed; his plane on the other hand received mechanical injury. The left wing of the plane was badly damaged after clipping the trunk of a tree and the nose was now up against another tree, which seemed to have received damage at an earlier date and was only just healing. He sighed and clambered out to assess the damage. Deciding that nothing could be done in these circumstances, he picked up a pistol from the cockpit and placed it in his holster; exploring the island seemed to be a sensible start.

There was a definite path through a stone archway and up a small cliff. Following it, Skyheed was sure he could hear something in the distance. The path carried on for a while, the sounds getting louder as he continued. Clambering up and down inclines was all Skyheed did for a while, until reaching the end. The path simply stopped at a cliff edge; plummeting down into the endless abyss of the brink skies. The place in which the path stopped was rounded, into a sort of balcony. There were logs placed in a seating pattern and what seemed to be a fire pit at the front. All around were odd green glowing crystals; warm to touch. Skyheed sat down for a few moments, trying to figure out what the noise was that had been following him. It sounded familiar… yet he couldn't place his finger on it. Then, as it grew even closer, Skyheed knew exactly what it was. _Children's laughter. _What were children doing out on the brink? He leapt up and span around, but he couldn't see anyone, let alone children. Slowly, he made his way back along the path, but something caught his eye behind him. As he turned, looking where he was just sat, were children. They were running around the crystals and sitting on the logs playing games. _How did they pass?_ Skyheed stood there and watched them for a few moments. Something didn't seem right. Each of the children, dressed in white dresses and waistcoats, stood up and formed a line facing Skyheed. They stood there and stared at him, pale complexion and white eyes. One of them cracked their neck sideways and looked towards Skyheed with piercing eyes. Another then did the same and another and another, until all six children (two boys, four girls), were stood there in the same position. A ghostly mist surrounded each of their necks individually and shaped into ropes. Slowly, they wrapped tighter and more mist formed what looked like a wooden frame above their heads. The ropes then materialised and joined to the wooden frame. The picture was then complete. Each of the children appeared to be _hanging_. There was then a sudden wind and Skyheed covered his eyes from the blowing dust and small stones. When he uncovered his eyes, none of the children were there… nor the mist… nor the wooden frame. Skyheed stood there for a few moments… shocked and disturbed by what he had just seen. Backing off, he heard voices, following him back towards the plane. _"Sir… Sir… Sir…"_

Once back at the plane, Skyheed sat upon the wing which wasn't broken and wondered how he was going to get out of this mess. There was one plus side… it wasn't raining. _"Sir… Sir…"_ the voices were beginning to scare Skyheed… As if his relationship status wasn't enough he now had ghostly children stalking him. _"Sir… Once betwixt the moonlight floor, the tree, the branch, the evermore…" _one chanted. _".. Lies the answer to the question… we decided it deserved a mention"_ each took it in turns to say a little piece of the riddle. _"…There lies a sleeping Birkit… simply pick up his ancient circuit…" _Their voices faded away and the silhouette of a child walked towards a cave near to where the other wing of the plane had broken. Skyheed ignored it. He was now stood up, trying to think of a way to fix the plane. One of the circuit boards had shattered and the plane would not start without it. _How the hell am I going to fix this?_

A few moments of denial passed and Skyheed looked towards the place in which the ghostly child had disappeared. There was a small entrance into the rocks, in the middle of an evergreen tree, a broken tree branch and a sundial. _Perplexing._ Skyheed walked towards it, reciting the riddle in his head. _Once betwixt the moonlight floor, the tree, the branch, the evermore. _He took in a deep breath and crouched down, shuffling into the small space.

It was pitch black in there for a while, but as he got further in… there was natural light coming from gaps in the rocks above him. _Lies the answer to the question… we decided it deserved a mention._ What question? The tight space then opened up into a cave. Skyheed looked around and in the corner, was what appeared to be a body of a soldier. Upon closer inspection, Skyheed found a name badge.  
"Birkit." He said aloud. The dead soldiers name was Birkit, just like in the riddle. _There lies a sleeping Birkit… simply pick up his ancient circuit. _A circuit? He looked around the cave and in the corner, appeared to be an old circuit board. Skyheed picked it up and carried it back through the tunnel and outside. Sitting on the plane's wing once again, he inspected it. Deciding it could be altered to fit his plane, he got to work.

Two long hours later, the plane's engines were running, but the wing and nose were still too badly damaged to fly and to make matters worse, it was getting dark. Skyheed sat on the grass and looked up to the skies… _hopeless._ He leaned back onto a part of the plane and shut his eyes, listening out for any noises. After what seemed to be an eternity… the sound of plane engines sounded above his head. He looked up and saw another plane coming in to land near him, only this pilot appeared to be much more skilled. Skyheed held his breath and hoped for this to go easily…

Once the plane had landed, the pilot walked over to Skyheed.  
"What'cha doin' out 'ere on the Brink, Lad?" The man asked, standing bold upright in a proud manner.  
"Seeking a better life." was his reply. "I guess it hasn't gone to well so far." Skyheed gestured to his plane and stood up.  
"Well, Lad. I can't 'elp you fix ya plane, but I can 'elp you with a betta' life." Laughing the bloke shook Skyheed's hand. "Ever thought o' piracy?"  
"Can't say that I have…" Skyheed was buying his time… _this can't go wrong.  
_"Well, Lad. Make a decision, 'cause I can take ya to 'ma ship if ya wish. Be a pirate, like. "He stood there and folded his hands, staring at Skyheed.  
"I'd love to." Skyheed finally said, as if he had been thinking hard about it. The muscly man in front of his scooped up his hand and shook it violently.  
"Well, welcome Lad!" He said, laughing from deep inside his throat. It was more of a bellow than a laugh. "The name's Bridge. Don't ask…and yours?"  
"Devean." Skyheed received a slap on the back and both of them walked towards Bridge's plane. Once in flight, Skyheed looked back towards his plane. He wasn't usually a sentimental man… but he was going to miss it. He also had that circuit board in his pocket, since something told him that he would need it.  
"I'm surprised you lasted very long on tha' island, Devean. People says it's haunted by kids. Should think so too… ya know, peoples used to kill 'em there if they were suspected to of been playing. Weren't allowed to play in the old days, wasn't proper. Shame." Skyheed smiled; hopefully this would go well… _just hope he doesn't ask where you come from._

Ten minutes later, a giant pirate ship came into sight. Complete with sails, only in the sky.  
"Welcome to The Screaming Knave, sister ship of The Phantom Blade." The plane flew into the Hangar and Skyheed braced himself for his new life.

_What lay on his path ahead?_


	9. Rendezvous

_**Rendezvous**_

The Hangar of The Screaming Knave was messy and there were plane parts everywhere; nothing like the tidiness of the Lower Hangar back in Aeropa. Once out of the plane, he was able to look around further. The appearance of the hangar was that of an old cottage… somewhat wooden and homely, if not a little under varnished. There was only one other person within the Hangar; a pirate tweaking one of the other planes in the corner. Much to Skyheed's surprise… there were only five docking stations for planes, which seemed a bit of a small number for such an advanced looking ship.

The main foyer of the ship was exactly as Skyheed had imagined it. Wooden floorboards covered the floor, the grain running towards a grand set of stairs. There were wooden picnic tables scattered around and the odd eco crystal, supposedly used for power or a recent hoard. _What a change of lifestyle._ Behind him was another set of grand stairs, only they were split in two, around what seemed to be a cylindrical room. Bridge told him at this point that it was the eco lab, where they use the eco to improve god mods or armour. They stood there for a few moments and then Skyheed was escorted up the first set of wooden stairs and into the Helm of the ship.

Bridge walked in first and told the story behind picking Devean up to his captain, who was sat at the Helm, looking through the large glass windows which allowed him to see where he is going.  
"Bring the lad in." The captain said, absentmindedly scratching his chin. Bridge came back outside and called for Devean to come on in. "Devean is it?" The captain asked, standing up and studying Skyheed. He had a pair of harsh brown eyes and a scar running along one ear. His sleek brown hair was tied back into a ponytail which went well passed his shoulders and his clothing were typical of the pirate kind; brown boots and a pair of slacks, followed by a baggy white shirt and in this case, a waistcoat.  
"Yes, sir." Skyheed replied, hoping this so called Captain wouldn't see through his disguise.  
"Wolf?" The Captain called, looking behind him. A muscular man about twice the Captains size came strolling from a room off the side of the Helm. His hair was a bright red and spiked up into several peaks. He was quite a lot taller too, being about a foot taller than Skyheed, being only 5 foot 10. Wolf walked up to Skyheed and looked down on him, being intimidating and also studies Skyheed. "Apologies for the cold reception, word has it Duke Skyheed of Aeropa has been reported missing, so I guess we can only be careful." The captain apologised, signalling for Wolf to back off a bit. "You see, whatever picked him off, is going to still be at large and we don't particularly want to go missing. It's not like a powerful guy, such as Skyheed; to suddenly disappear… strange times are afoot. On another hand, we don't just recruit random people; you have to reach a certain mark… Wolf, what's your conclusion on 'blue eyes' here?" The Captain, who still hadn't announced his name, looked towards his faithful comrade.  
"5 foot 10. Bit of a short-ass." Was his first response, which wielded a frown from Skyheed. "As for strength… doesn't look too bad… but I guess theres only one way to find out…" Without warning, Wolf threw a punch at Skyheed, who proceeded to catch his fist within his own. Wolf then began to push against Skyheed's wrist, who forced back. _A test of brute strength… not Skyheed's best attribute. _They remained in stalemate for a moment or two.  
"Enough." The Captain laughed. Both men let go and looked towards him.  
"Not bad, Captain." Wolf said, looking at Skyheed through the corner of his eye. "Physically fit."  
"Very well. You're in." The Captain announced, shaking Skyheed's hand. "The name's Blayne."  
"Apologies, Captain, but we need to set off if we're going to get there on time." Wolf stated, from the doorway to the room he appeared from earlier. Skyheed shot a confused look to Blayne.  
"Well, Devean, as my official Helmsman I shall ask you to set in the coordinates on this piece of parchment and send us on our way to rendezvous with The Phantom Blade." He handed Skyheed the piece of parchment and proceeded to sit down on a seat. Under the watchful eye of Wolf, Skyheed set in the coordinates and fired up the engines. _This was going to be a long journey_.

* * *

__Sector Zero… one of the places you definitely know you're at because of the high winds and ghost ships that sail past. On the odd occasion you get a ghostly shout that you're being boarded… but nothing happens; mere figures made of ash and smoke appear and disappear within seconds. It wasn't a place for neither the light hearted nor the scared. Most of the time… nobody ventured there, which made it the perfect place for a rendezvous with another pirate ship. The Screaming Knave was the first there, and the swirling vortexes below didn't give any sympathy or comfort.  
"Do you think they'll turn up?" Wolf asked the Captain.  
"Of course they will we're not talking about any Captain here, were talking about probably the best pirate Captain there is. Phoenix will turn up, he's too loyal not to." Blayne spoke, standing up to get a better look out of the window. Skyheed merely stood at the Helm and watched the horizon. He knew Phoenix… they weren't exactly best friends. There were only two things currently on his mind; finding Ava… and hoping that the pirates wouldn't attack Aeropa while he was supposedly missing. The pirates weren't stupid… he could give them that. They would easily see vulnerability.  
"Devean?" Blayne asked, walking towards the daydreaming Skyheed.  
"Yes, sir?" He replied spinning around on the spot.  
"Is everything okay?" Blayne walked back towards the window, a smile etching itself over his face.  
"Yes sir. All is fine." Skyheed smiled to himself, also noticing the pirate ship, much like the one he was on, upon the horizon.  
"It seems we have company!" Blayne laughed, looking at Wolf who had been put firmly back into his place from speaking up earlier. Skyheed watched as The Phantom Blade was manoeuvred so it was alongside The Screaming Knave. Tethers then snapped on and the two ships were locked together; The Phantom Blade on the right.

There was a slight jolt as platforms were balanced across the two ships. Most stayed behind, but Skyheed, the Captain and Wolf balanced across the planks over a swirling vortex and onto The Phantom Blade. _One foot in front of another… don't look down._ Skyheed had never been afraid of heights… being able to turn into an eight foot monster helped a lot and since he also flew a lot of planes, he was used to it. But this was talking the biscuit, if he was to fall, he would do so into oblivion. Once safely onto the deck of the infamous Phantom Blade, he quietly reminisced about the times he had blew holes in this very deck from the safety of the Behemoth. Following his Captain, Skyheed took the lift down from the deck and into a familiar foyer. _Sister ship of The Screaming Knave? Identical twins fit the quota a little better…_ Once inside, they took the wooden staircase up into a familiar sight once again. The only difference was that the Helm's wheel was a different colour and instead of Blayne stood at the window overlooking the scenery; it was the infamous Captain Phoenix.  
"Welcome to the Phantom Blade, Blayne. Long-time no see!" They both greeted each other as if brothers and then Blayne proceeded to introduce Wolf and _Devean._ Phoenix then introduced Klout and all seemed well. _Klout… what a backstabber. If only Phoenix knew that he had paid him to destroy the Phantom Blade's engines once…_ "I'm afraid that the meeting will have to wait, as just yesterday I was in contact with none other than Captain Droneous!" Both men grinned and shared a bellowing laugh and a slap on the back. "He's bringing The Hellborn along. Finally, all three sisters alongside each other once again."  
"Excuse me sir?" Bridge walked in, supposedly coming over from the Screaming Knave. "Theres another ship on the southern horizon." Both Phoenix and Blayne dashed to the deck of the ship and watched as the Hellborn tethered itself to the Phantom Blade's left side in one swift and fluid movement.

Both Captains watched the door into the Helm. Awaiting the Captain in which they hadn't seen in a long while. There was a silence which seemed to last forever. Finally the door to the Helm opened and in walked a tall man with blue stubble upon his cheek and a rather dashing blue waistcoat.  
"Long-time no see, boys!" he said, walking towards them. It was a warm greeting all in all.  
"How are you, ya old scallywag!" Another voice cried. In walked in a shorter man dressed in tattered brown slacks and an off-white baggy shirt. He was followed by a shorter person, but at the angle in which Skyheed was at, he couldn't see them.  
"Vigores… How are you?" Phoenix asked, shaking the first mates hand. "And captain, it's been too long!"  
"It certainly has, old boy!" Droneous laughed. "Vigores, come in, come in. Don't stand outside. After all, this is a meeting for Captains and first mates and indeed anyone who is trusted." Droneous moved forward, revealing the fact that the person behind him was a woman. She was dressed in quite a formal attire; a grey t-shirt with a black waistcoat, black trousers and a pair of boots. Her hair was put up into a messy bun and she seemed to be a bit shifty.  
"And who is this fine young lady?" Phoenix asked, taking the young woman's hand and guiding her up towards the Helm.  
"Keep your hands off, Phoenix. That's my daughter, Ava." Skyheed felt sudden shock. _Surely that can't be Ava? She looks so… different._ _Then again… I have no right to say anything like that…_  
"Really? Well, Miss Ava, it's a pleasure to meet you. Droneous… you scallywag, I wasn't aware you had a daughter." Phoenix laughed.  
"I take it… that it is quite a story?" Blayne asked, sitting down on one of the chairs within the Helm.  
"Indeed it is. I suppose it will only play a small part in our catch up, so it's a good place to start." Phoenix too sat down while listening to Droneous.  
"Devean… why don't you take young Miss Ava to the Hangar on our ship, perhaps you could keep her occupied while we… chat." Blayne said, gesturing towards Skyheed. Ava looked at _Devean_ and smiled.

Once out of the Helm of the Phantom Blade and out of the lift, the two of them stepped out onto its deck. It was covered in Pirates catching up and making alliances from all three ships. The Hellborn seemed to still have some people aboard, but the Screaming Knave on the other hand looked dead in the sky. Skyheed dashed across the plank which created a path between the two ships and awaited Ava. He placed his foot on the end of the plank and held out his hand. Ava, unknowing, of who _Devean _actually was, took his hand and gingerly stepped across. Once aboard the seemingly abandoned Screaming Knave, Skyheed and Ava made their way to the foyer and then into the Hangar. There were a few planes in there; inhabiting three of the five pads.  
"Well, when they said that they were sister ships… I didn't think they would be exactly the same." Ava laughed. Skyheed smiled. He sat onto the wing of the plane in which he came to the Screaming Knave on and Ava soon joined him, after admiring the fact that the ships were, apart from their names and Captains, exactly the same. "What do you think they're talking about up there?" Ava finally asked, breaking the silence.  
"Don't know. Something to do with the Aeropan's?" Skyheed's suggestion made Ava laugh and he thought it only to be right to question that. "What?"  
"Nothing. I used to live in Aeropa, you know." She added to the conversation, adjusting the way she was sat on the plane wing.  
"Really?" Skyheed was struggling to concentrate. The love of his live was sat mere inches away from him and he couldn't do anything.  
"Yeh." Her blunt answer killed the conversation momentarily before she found something else to say. "Skyheed is missing anyway." She said, a tear swelling in her eye.  
"I've heard. Is everything okay?" he asked, putting his arm around the now crying Ava.  
"Yeh, I'm fine. You know… as much as I love my father… I really don't understand his ways. I suppose living in Aeropa has changed my views somewhat." She was vulnerable and emotional, and boy was it showing. "Ugh. I don't know why I'm bawling all of my worries onto you." She laughed half-heartedly. Skyheed tightened his grip around her and Ava put her head on his shoulder.  
"Maybe it's because I'm just one of those people." He joked.  
"You know… um…" She stuttered, not knowing his name.  
"Devean."  
"Devean… You don't spring out to me to be a hard minded pirate…" She laughed again, sniffing a few times and wiping her eyes with her sleeve.  
"Hmm… Well you don't spring out to be one either." Skyheed resorted, thinking of a way to tell her who he really was.  
"Oh really? Then what do I look like?" She asked, twisting her neck so she could look up at _Devean_ from an odd angle.  
"Well, I think you look like a well-spoken woman. Whose parents died when she was a young age… and has had a very hard life… swinging from mechanics to the KG, and then ending up in Aeropa. Where you climbed up the working ladder and ended up in the Lower Hangar. You then got into a spot of trouble with the Duke and ended up losing your job. From there, seeing nowhere else to go… you resorted to finding your Pirate father, leaving behind a broken hearted man." Skyheed made no eye contact while he recited the facts from memory. Most of them were obtained from the letter in which Ava had sent to him. Ava, after listening to the speech, sat up and turned to look up at _Devean._  
"Skyheed?" She asked, her eyes filling up with tears. He merely nodded and looked away. _Now wasn't the time to be ashamed, Skyheed._ "But… Who… Why?"  
"You." Once again, Skyheed was lost for words.  
"But what about Aeropa?" She asked, realising that he had left his city vulnerable to attack without him being there, let alone the fact that he abruptly left so he is suspected missing.  
"What good is a Duke when he can't even face the morning…." He sighed and felt Ava cling to his arm.  
"I missed you…." She sobbed, hiding her eyes into his sleeve. "Are you sure you're…" Skyheed knew she would ask if it was truly him, so he unbuttoned his shirt and showed her the scars on his back. She covered her mouth with her hand and backed off slightly. He swiftly buttoned his shirt and sat back down.  
"You cut your hair…" she muttered, twiddling a short piece between her fingers.  
"I had to… anyone could have recognised me if I didn't…" he replied, taking her hand in his own, and away from his hair. "You can't tell anyone… until I know how to … I don't know…" He trailed off and stood up.  
"Skyheed, you have to return to Aeropa… Your people need you." Ava said jumping off her perch and onto the wooden floor.  
"And I need you…" There was a sudden jolt as the engine of the Phantom Blade turned on. "They're going to be coming back…

Both walked towards the stairs, leading to the door out of the Hangar. Ava walked ahead, only to be stopped by Skyheed playing his hand on her waist, and pulling her back. As she span, she placed her hands onto his broad chest and rested her head on it for a few moments. Skyheed had his arms tightly around her and let out a sigh. He didn't want to let go. She pulled back and looked up at him. _She loved him… there was no denying it._ Skyheed let his head fall slightly. Ava on the other hand, took the moment and grabbed his collar, pulling him into a brief, but desirable kiss. It was cut short when the sound of footsteps could be heard above them and booth abruptly parted, carrying on their course to the deck above.

In the main foyer they met Blayne, Phoenix and Droneous.  
"There you two are. Nice planes, Ava?" Her father asked.  
"Sure." Her mind was somewhere else.  
"Well, after our long talk, we've decided to stick together. After all, the Aeropan army are searching for Skyheed and that would be the perfect time to make an attack. So, if the Behemoth comes into sight… warm up the turrets." Phoenix laughed.  
"In the mean –time," Blayne interrupted, "Stay on your ship and only talk to people you trust." With that, the three Captains parted ways and Ava followed her father, smiling to herself as she did so. _Finally, Ava… I love you…_ _The only problem that now lies in my path is getting off this damned ship without being detected… as for getting back to Aeropa… well that's going to be a problem. If I manage to take one of these planes… the scanning systems in Aeropa will pick me up and that will be the end… however I get back, I intend to take Ava with me…_


	10. Ambush

_**Much love to Wayward Whisperer... Because she's awesome, as always :) One more chapter after this one... before a massively long one I'm planning... hopefully around 6000 words, so xD Enjoy peeps xx**_

* * *

_**Ambush**_

Skyheed couldn't sleep. The constant noise from the engines were keeping him awake, along with the loud chatter from the pirates next door. Finally giving in, he sat up and placed his ear to the wall, listening in on the suddenly hushed conversation.  
" Don't you think its just a bit weird that Skyheed suddenly goes missing?" One muttered in a raspy voice.  
"I don't know. These things can happen and with people like him getting stronger with power over eco... I suppose you cant even begin to think what possibly could happen." Another replied. It sounded as if there were only two in the room next door.  
"Yeh... I've heard that some of our scout have seen the Behemoth out on a scope... obviously tying to find him for one reason or another. I would personally get over him and put someone else in charge."  
"I suppose, but Aeropans are pretty loyal, and it takes a lot to deter one. They'll want to find their Duke... alive or dead."  
"In which case... that is their weakness... loyalty."  
"How did you work that one out in that mutant sized brain of yours?"

"Easily. Haven't you heard? I was outside the captain's meeting... _mopping the floor_... and I overheard something very interesting."  
"Spill then..."  
"Alright, just don't spread it. The three captains are planning to stake out the Behemoth and once it comes into view... they'll use the Phantom Blade to draw them in. Even the Chancellor cant resist fight with their mortal enemies. In which case... The Screaming Knave and The Hellborn will surround it and... well I suppose unless anything goes wrong on our part, that'll be the end of them."

Skyheed pulled his ear away from the wall and thought about everything that was just said. _The Chancellor would be aboard... let alone all of the Aeropan soldiers... it would be a massacre. _Getting off the Screaming Knave would now be vital and somehow helping the Behemoth was also high on Skyheed's list. For now... it would be best to sleep. So, placing a pillow over his head to muffle the noise, Skyheed tried to sleep.

* * *

Skyheed awoke to the sound of shouting and the smell of carbon. An all too familiar smell usually associated with a plane which had recently been blown up. His conclusion was that there had been a small scrap sometime during the night and the pirates had brought the wreckage into the Hangar. Sighing, Skyheed got up and walked out of his room and down to the Hangar to see what was going on. His mind was not prepared for what he saw down there. Once down the steps, it became apparent that his earlier hypothesis was right; there was indeed a wreckage of a plane in the Hangar... smoke pouring out of its engines, but he wasn't expecting it to be an Aeropan Bomber Plane. He immediately became interested and concerned. _What had gone on?_  
"Bridge?" Skyheed began, walking over to the pirate who was tapping away on a control panel, "What's going on?"  
"Nothing of interest, Devean. One of the boys recovered an old Bomber plane from the old Aeropan Research Rig after snooping about." He didn't look up from the panel during any point in the sentence.  
"I see. What were they doing there?" Skyheed asked, hoping to get a little more information out of him.  
"I don't know really. I can only presume they were looking for some hint as towards the weaknesses of the Behemoth. We know that the Aeropans used to upgrade the Behemoth there, so, hoping that they would of left plans to it there... they went looking. Nothing of that sort was found, only an old Bomber Plane. We'll probably keep it... maybe repair it and use it against them, who knows." Bridge looked up this time and stepped away from the panel. "Bloody stinks though. There's so much to do to it..." Skyheed laughed, shuffling on the spot.  
"Well I suppose it'll come in handy at some point." Skyheed muttered. The cogs were turning in his head. _If he could just hijack that plane... he would be able to fly it into Aeropa, without being blown up for being a pirate craft..._ He decided that it wasn't worth pondering over until he spoke with Ava, which was currently impossible because she was on another ship, and he would need a valid reason to go over there, let alone talk to the Captains daughter.

After helping to move the Bomber plane into storage, Skyheed walked towards the Helm, hoping to find the Captain, and get something to do, maybe even be told what he overheard last night.  
"Devean, good morning." The Captain greeted, turning to face Skyheed from the wheel at the Helm. Skyheed nodded a _respectful_ nod and walked over from the doorway. "I have to tell you, Devean, that today isn't going to be very quiet." He started, smiling to himself. "You see, our spies have told us that the Behemoth is four miles off Brink Island, looking for their long lost Duke. This gives the perfect time to attack, since they are so vulnerable. Were planning to fly in and ambush them; drawing them into a fight with the Phantom Blade and then attacking from all sides. Fantastic opportunity isn't it!" The captain was obviously very excited. "If you wouldn't mind warning the crew about our pending scuffle, and then popping over onto The Hellborn to tell Droneous that he and I will be hiding around the other side of the island, and will await further command from The Phantom Blade."  
"Yes sir." Skyheed walked back out and made a quick go at warning the crew. They merely laughed and said that it was just another day. He then made the horrifying walk across not one plank of unsteady wood, but two; first onto The Phantom Blade, and then onto The Hellborn. He was kindly welcomed by the friendlier seeming crew and was swiftly escorted towards the Helm.

Skyheed received an odd look when he walked in, from Captain Droneous.  
"Ah, you're Blayne's boy aren't you? How can I help you, son?" The Captain spoke, stroking his chin.  
"I was told to tell you that your ship along with the Screaming Knave will be hiding around the other side of Brink Island, and will await further command from the Phantom Blade." Skyheed spoke, hands grasped behind his back.

"Ah, ol' Phoenix taking command... Very well." The Captain swung back around on his chair and ignored _Devean_ from there on. Skyheed took the hint and walked out and back up towards the deck. He was about to step onto the plank when he heard his name being called from somewhere behind him.  
"_Devean!_" Once facing the origin of the voice, Skyheed smiled.  
"Ava. How are you?" He asked, dying to hold her close to him, but there were now some other pirates on the far side of the deck and although they cant hear them, they would see.  
"Fine. What's going on?" She asked, obviously she hadn't been told anything.  
"The three ships are planning to ambush the Behemoth..." Skyheed started before being interrupted by Ava.  
"What!"  
"I know. Shh. Now, the best thing we can do for now is meet on Brink Island, during the battle." Skyheed spoke, being watchful of an approaching pirate.  
"But what about the Behemoth?" Ava asked, uncomfortably holding her arm with her opposite hand.  
"There's nothing I can do. It would arouse suspicion, I suppose it's up to them to take care of themselves until we can get back to Aeropa." Skyheed stopped talking as the Pirate came into earshot.  
"Is everything alright Miss Ava?" He asked, looking at Skyheed.  
"Everything's fine thank you, Mac." She replied, smiling and watching him walk off.  
"I guess I'll see you down there then." Skyheed said, saying goodbye and walking over the plank.

* * *

Skyheed walked into the Hangar of the Screaming Knave and sat down next to Bridge. He was a pretty good friend, over the past few days, and he wasn't planning to hold anything against him... even if he was a pirate. Thinking about it, Skyheed would offer to take him to Aeropa if it didn't pose such a threat to his people... He opened his mouth to speak when there was a sudden jolt as the ship came to a halt. Curious, Skyheed and Bridge stood up and walked over to a window. It was now apparent that they had arrived at Brink Island, and were hiding around the side that the Behemoth supposedly wont go.  
"I guess we're here." Skyheed muttered, turning back around. It would all start within the hour...  
"Yep." Bridge laughed. "You flying out?"  
"Yes, I certainly will be." Skyheed said, realising that his face accent slipped a bit.  
"Well, I send my luck to you, Lad." Bridge saluted him sarcastically and walked out of the Hangar. _Farewell Bridge... it's been a pleasure. _

Out the corner of his eye, Skyheed saw a group of Pirates attempting to start up the Bomber Plane... _They'll never get it._ He laughed. Aeropan technology was only meant for Aeropans... There are no **start up** buttons... Give it a blast of Dark Eco energy on the other hand and it would start right up. _I don't think that would go down very well though..._ After a brief laugh, Skyheed nearly fell over when the engines to the Screaming Knave started up and propelled the ship forward. _This was it._ Through the window, he could see the outline of the Behemoth on the horizon, currently in battle with the Phantom Blade. _Watch out, Chancellor._ There was a sudden rush of action as Pirates rushed from the deck and down into the Hangar. Planes were flying out and Skyheed took his chance. He rushed over to the Bomber Plane and started it up; by this time al pirates there were out and flying towards the Behemoth. Once out of the Hangar, Skyheed made an attempt to look like he was fighting. This of course changed when he was being shot at by some other plane. Dodging it, he fired back. Nobody knew who's side he was on. The pirates weren't sure if he was actually an Aeropan because of the plane, and the Aeropans themselves weren't sure because they didn't remember bringing a Bomber with them.

Skyheed was in a full blown fight with this pilot. Bullets ricocheted off the wings and jammed themselves deep inside the weak metalwork of the Bomber. Skyheed gritted his teeth. _I'd like to see those Kras Racers have a go at this._ Holding his breath he pulled a barrel roll to avoid a missile and proceeded to fire at the opposing pilot. There wasn't much else he could do much to his annoyance... the Bomber plane wasn't made for close combat. A few mere bullets from the opposing plane was enough to bring up three warning lights on the control panel. Fuel was leaking from the back of the Bomber and one more blow from a round of bullets made it certain that most power lines were severed. Skyheed had no choice but to follow the plane's diving path and crash onto a remote part of Brink Island. Spilt fuel caught alight and flames engulfed the wreckage.

* * *

Ava ran along the main deck of The Hellborn, avoiding stray fire from overhead fighter planes. Dashing between flames and pieces of metal, Ava finally made it to the lift to the lower deck. Turning to face the doors as they closed, Ava saw the Behemoth and remembered all the good times she had in Aeropa; whether that be with friends in the Hangar or the odd occasion with the disguised Skyheed. The Behemoth was taking heavy fire... and if something wasn't done, then they would fall from the sky... taking Aeropa's safety with it. _Where was her heart... with Aeropa and Skyheed... or her father and the pirates?_

Still running, Ava made her way down into the Hangar. It was utterly deserted; all that inhabited the room was an old pirate plane with no means of defence, let alone weapons of its own. She took a look at it, and then at the open Hangar bay. _It would be so easy to slip away..._ Through the open Hangar, Ava witnessed a large blow to the Behemoth; scattering engine parts over the brink. _She'll only have one engine left... and then the backup power._ In a sudden rush, Ava ran over to the Hellborn's engine room and scouted around, looking for something...

After five minutes of looking and the horrifying sound of more damage to the Behemoth, Ava found what she was looking for. _Engine shut down_ was marked upon a button on a panel in the corner, now with her hand hovering over it.  
_"Sorry, Dad. But my allegiance lies with Skyheed..."_ She pressed the button and made a run for the old plane in the corner. There were several jolts as the engines shut off and with them all turret guns and weapons. Shouting came from the upper decks, but by the time they reached the Hangar... Ava was out and into the skies. The Hellborn was floating out of her ambush position and within a matter of seconds, there was a big enough gap for the Behemoth to sneak through and push all of her power to the engines. The ambush had failed.

Ava ignored the other planes shooting at her, she merely stressed the boosters of the surprisingly nimble plane and flew towards the usual landing site on Brink Island. Only, before she had chance to land, a thick cloud of black smoke caught her eye and she decided to scope it out. There were flames dying out and the burnt embers of trees covering what seemed to be a plane wreckage.

"_Skyheed!"_


	11. Broken

_**Broken **_

Once landing on a patch of land that looked vaguely safe, Ava headed in the vague direction of the smoke. _Just follow your nose, Ava. _The strong smell of burning and ash hung in the air as Ava got closer to the plane wreck. Now taking a spontaneous route off the worn path, she clambered through thick bushes and close growing trees which cut at her arms and tore her pirate clothing. There was one final push through a wall of trees... which then revealed a pathway mown down by the plane. Glowing embers from once burning trees were just blowing out and parts of the plane were scattered everywhere. Ava slowly made her way towards the smoking wreckage, being careful where she stepped. Once at the plane, she looked for a pilot. Backing off from disbelief... Ava held her hand over her mouth at the sheer sight of the cockpit... Blood covered the windscreen and through the darkness of the smoke... she could see a body. She was backing away faster and faster until she let out a scream; a pair of red eyes greeted her, staring from inside the cockpit. Within seconds, the ghostly looking figure crawled over what looked like a body and didn't move its gaze from her. _Skyheed! No! Please... don't be you... Please... no... Skyheed... wake up... _

She took another step backwards, but as she did so... a branch snapped under her foot. Almost like it was triggered by the snap, four ghostly looking figures rose out of the ground and slowly made their way towards Ava. Fear made her stand still for a few seconds, before a scream came from her throat and her legs carried her away from the crash scene. She didn't where she was going... nor did she care... all that she did know was that she was running away from a plane wreckage... with the love of her life dead in the cockpit...


	12. A Ghostly Legend

_**A Ghostly Legend**_

Ava continued to run. Sobbing as she did so. Unknowing where she was going... she turned a random corner on a now present dirt path and ran towards what seemed to be a precurson door. She stopped momentarily and admired it through blurred sight. Ava wiped her eyes and moved towards the door. Much to her dismay... it didn't open. Her grandmother had read her many a story about Precurson technology and according to them... it should of opened once it sensed her presence. Sighing, she leaned against the door and slid down it. The tears were starting to flood down her face again and she couldn't work out what to do. _If she went back... she would have to pass the plane wreckage to get to her plane..._ While sat there... she remembered many of those stories. One of which popped into her mind and explained the ghostly children... or more figures, that surrounded her earlier, outside the plane. _Of course... they used to kill them here..._ She never understood why, but she knew that at least. Brink Island was also the supposed location of a very old Citadel, but no-one was ever able to locate it, so it remained a Legend.

Still sat there, Ava pulled her knees up and hugged them, hiding her face. It was at this point that she heard rustling noises from her left. She stayed firmly curled up and didn't care if it was someone there to kill her. A tingling cold breeze passed over her exposed ears and the slight shadow of a person was now in sight from under her knees. Ava held her breath, but when nothing happened, she looked up from her sorrowful position. Looking from the ground up... she saw bandaged feet and some spherical weights hanging from a metal belt. A dark blue cloak lapped at their ankles and was missing a sleeve. A red glove covered most of an arm and tubed entered nearer the top. Brown slacks clothed the legs and a collar stuck up behind their neck. Deep purple eyes met hers and long eco-stained hair blew in the gentle wind. His jaw seemed to resemble the legendary creature of a Lurker and his nails were blacker than charcoal. Ava sat there and stared at the man with eyes wide. _Is he dead...?_  
"Yes. I am very much dead." The figure replied to her thoughts. "Bound to this island for eternity because of my ways in life. But enough about me... why are you here?" Ava looked up to him... bewildered. He was _dead_... and yet he looked as alive as she did.  
"Uh..." She was struggling to find something to say. After all.. he was **DEAD!** _And so was Skyheed..._ Ava burst out into tears again and hid her face into her knees. The strange man's eyes opened wide and gave a slightly dumbfounded look. He then swung himself around and sat on the ground next to her.  
"Maybe it would help if I introduced myself..." He said, putting his arm around her in an attempt to be comforting. _He wasn't comforting in life... and it was hard to be in death too..._ "My name is Gol Acheron... and I was once a Dark Eco Sage. But I suppose... looking back... I grew greedy in my ways and am now bound to sere a lifetime on this earth as repayment. I wasn't always like that though... I was once very respectable. I had an almost natural power over Dark Eco and decided to pursue it further. I had many a power after research... that of shields and offensive things alike. I suppose I grew over confidant and it mutated me into what you see now. I was then... _disposed of_... by a fifteen year old boy and his rat, and here I am."  
"Not an easy life then..." Ava muttered, remembering Legends in which held the Acheron's within them.  
"No. I guess not. But... everything has up's and down's... I learnt that first person. Life won't always be kind and things are taken away from you. If you pursue greatness in the right way, then you will be rewarded, but of you do it the wrong way like I did, then nothing really turns out very well. Ava... I can tell you one thing regarding Dark Eco. Unlike other Eco's where you need a large amount in order to create a hold over them, with Dark Eco, you need to use little bits but create a firm hold over them. The more control you have over small amounts, the more you'll be able to do." Gol was being rather friendly in his old age... even if he did still look like he did all those years ago. _I bet Samos has aged..._  
"That could prove useful... maybe." Ava remembered Skyheed again and let some more stray tears roll down her cheeks. "Wait. How do you know my name?"  
"I know a lot of things." Gol replied, smiling at the young Ava. "I know for instance... That you are heartbroken." He looked sympathetic towards Ava, who looked at him back, tears in her eyes. "You seem to be a very worthy person, Ava... and I have met many people while here. There will be many an obstacle during your life... and when the time is right, you'll know what to do with this." After his small speech, Gol placed both of his hands on Ava's back and there was a sudden glow of Dark Energy. She remained still throughout the entirety of the transfer. Once he had finished, she sat up and looked at him."How do you feel?"  
"Strange..." She replied. "What did you do?"  
"I gave you... something that is hard to explain. I gave you hope in a different context... pure love disguised as something else, courage when it is needed most. When the time comes, you'll understand. It wont just be once either... the need for it may crop up at any time during your life; you'll never know. Part of me will now always be with you... But alas... my studies call. Take care Ava, and if you ever need someone to talk to... just call." With that he stood up and walked into the Precurson door; _straight through it._

She merely looked behind her and sighed. _Thank you, Gol... It's been a pleasure._

She sat there for a few more moments before plucking up the courage to make her way towards the crash site. Slowly, she navigated her way down the dirt path and through the familiar foliage. Minutes later, she could smell the burning embers. Thankfully, she wasn't greeted by any ghostly children, only the eyesore of the plane wreck. Tears in her eyes, she gained sudden courage to walk over to the wreck and clamber through the opening in which was between a broken wing and the actual entrance to the plane. Inside was as dark as carbon itself but it was still easy to make out the blood over the seats and windscreen. Ava held her breath as she crawled closer to the silhouette of a body. A glint of blue hair through a ray of light confirmed it was Skyheed. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she unknowingly created a small orb of Dark Eco, which gave her more light. What greeted her eyes was something that could break the strongest of hearts.

Skyheed's eyes were closed and blood was dried around his nose and mouth. He was lay at a funny angle from the steering column and there was a large laceration to his chest. The blood across the windscreen seemed to of been from the impact, when Skyheed's head hit the windscreen and shattered partially. There was a significant amount of glass in the side of his head and trails of blood down the sides of his face; staining his usually beautiful hair. There were also large shards of metal stuck in his leg and bullet wounds in his upper arm closest the window. Ava felt a tear slide down her face as she used her spare hand to stroke Skyheed's cheek. _It's so cold..._ She lay next to him for a few moments, taking in the fact that he was truly dead. _He's gone, Ava... and there's nothing you can do..._ She couldn't decide whether to leave him where he was... or to somehow get him out of the wreckage. She shed more tears, and decided it would be better if she was to get him out.

Carefully, she dragged Skyheed's bruised body from the wreckage and lay him on the soft grass outside, in the shade of one of the trees which were still standing. She placed his hands nicely on his stomach and adjusted him so he looked smart and heroic. Folding her legs, Ava sat and moved his hair so it didn't look so messy and out of place. _Why did you have to cut your hair..._ She then pulled her hands back into her lap and sighed. He looked so peaceful... as if he was asleep. But as much as she tried, she couldn't bear the fact that he was gone... Again she couldn't hold back the tears. Ava brushed them away every time they reached her cheek, but it was pointless, since she simply shed more.

After another few moments sitting there an sobbing, some wise words came over her mind. _"When the time comes... you'll understand."_ Ava looked to the bright blue sky and then back at Skyheed. She then looked at her hands. _Surely it's not possible?_

"_**Anything is possible... Ava. You just have to believe that you can do it. Pure love... courage and **__**hope... always remember..." **_Ava took in a deep breath and held her hands close to her heart. _I love you Skyheed. _Carefully, she began to remove the shards of metal that were in his leg and the bullets and glass in his arm. She then placed her hands over the harshest of wounds and concentrated on the happy memories she shared with Skyheed; _sitting outside on her work break... talking to him in the hospital wing... kissing him..._ When she opened her eyes, there was a bright glow of deep purple around her hands, and it was spreading... Slowly but surely, it spread up Ava's arms and covered her chest. At he same time, it was healing the wounds on Skyheed's skin; spreading up his arms and across his chest, over his face and down his legs. Ava felt a tear fall from her eye and the Eco began to disappear... it concentrated around Skyheed's heart and then vanished.

Ava looked at Skyheed's face and smiled a sad smile. He looked so beautiful; exactly how he was before any of this happened... apart from the hair and the attire. She began to cry again, but she tried to hold it in by curling up by his side. The blue skies by now had gone and it began to rain. Lightly at first and then much heavier. Ava didn't care. The sudden cold made her sneeze but it didn't stop her from staying close to Skyheed's body, as cold as it was. Eventually, despite all of the rain and the cold and the fact that she was so emotional, Ava fell asleep; next to the man she has always loved... and always will.


	13. Immortal Love

_**Immortal Love**_

The rain was still pouring from the blackened sky, weaving through a few showing stars and to the ground; where it broke into many a droplet, scattering the blood covered ground. The scattered metal parts of the plane were now shining from the rain and the cockpit was flooded. Lightning struck the ground near Ava, and she woke up with fear in her eyes. The sky was the blackest she had ever seen. Thunder rumbled around her and sharp snaps of it bit at her ears, causing her to wince. Still she was curled next to Skyheed. He hadn't changed. His hair still looked perfect and his skin still with a hint of purple from the Eco. He was still in the very position Ava left him in when she fell asleep. A tear formed in her eye, followed by sudden angst. _Why did she do it? If she hadn't of left Aeropa... then he wouldn't of come after her and... he wouldn't of been killed..._ Ava sat up in the rain and tried to block out her thoughts. She stroked Skyheed's cheek and felt something within her that made her feel sick. The sensation resembled that of when she first woke up from having the Dark Eco Injection Cycle; dizziness and feeling generally sick. She stood up and staggered backwards, holding her hands over her stomach. The rain was still pouring down and words kept spinning in her head; _"... when it's most needed.." _Ava collapsed onto the floor and doubled over. There was immense pain inside her chest. Light-headedness followed and she was pretty sure she lost consciousness at one point.

At least an hour passed and the pain subsided. Ava's breathing went back to normal, but as she sat up and removed her hands from her chest there was a small glowing orb within them. It was small at first... then the more she looked at it, the more it grew. The little orb had what seemed to be sparkly flakes within it... swirling around in the same manner as Dark Eco. Raising her hands up, Ava took a closer look at the orb, which had stopped growing. It was the perfect size to fit in the palm of her hand and the little sparkly pieces were moving into a slow moving double helix shape. _Mesmerising..._ Ava looked up towards Skyheed's body and saw a glow shining out of his chest. She shuffled closer, and as she did so... the little orb in her hand shone brighter. Making the connection, Ava sat right next to Skyheed. The little orb was not delicately floating just off the surface of her hands. It was radiating warmth and giving the sensation of fluttering. Smiling at the thought, she held it close to her heart, remembering all the good times she had with Skyheed and everything she could of done with him. _We could of walked along beaches at twilight and ventured over unknown horizons... explored lands and discovered the true power of Dark Eco..._ A tear fell from her face and landed within the glowing orb, which triggered a reaction; The light purple went two shades darker.

Ava held the orb for a few more moments before leaning over Skyheed. Something inside her was telling her to do something. She pulled herself up onto her knees and held the orb in both hands, before carefully pushing it into Skyheed's chest. It took some force, but it absorbed into his heart, leaving Ava's hands lying atop, stained with a bit of blood and traces of whatever the little orb was. She could feel warmth beneath her hands but something else caught her attention. Gol was stood amongst the trees, watching. He smiled and moved his hand in a strange motion, creating some sort of Eco Energy and then, disappeared with no trace. Ava would of remained confused if it wasn't for a considerable temperature change from under her hands. Skyheed's chest suddenly got very warm. Confused and filling up with tears again, Ava lay her head onto it, taking in the heat. She closed her eyes and imagined his chest moving up and down to the rhythm of his breathing.

The dreamlike trance made it all feel so very real but when Ava re-opened her eyes it was obviously visible that Skyheed's chest _was_ moving. Ava had never sat up so fast in all of her life. The rain had let up for a while, but it was just starting again. She checked time after time; _he was breathing!_ _How... its not possible...!_ She didn't want to let her emotions get the better of her... but she scooped Skyheed's upper body up and pulled him onto her lap. She held him in her arms and twiddled his hair between her fingers. _Please... be alive... wake up. _His breathing had taken on a steady but shallow rhythm and Ava thought about the fact that they were still out in the open. Flying him in this state would not be wise, and since the pirates were still flying around, it wouldn't be a good idea to go out.

Ava's eyes were fixed upon Skyheed's closed ones. Waiting... waiting for any sign of movement. _I need to get him off this island. _She looked frantically around, trying to think of a way to get him off, but nothing sprang to mind. Then it dawned on her... that everything Gol had said, in one way or another, had worked. She had hoped, longed and believed that it might just be possible for him to live. And then... Dark Eco brought him back... love disguised which... Ava's head hurt from thinking. _The little purple orb resembled her love for Skyheed... she merely gave it to him... _Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Skyheed moved his head slightly, within her arms. She looked longingly at his eyes, praying for them to open. _If somehow the Eco had brought him back... then I wonder what else could be done with... with what Gol gave me. _

Ava's mind then wandered to the Eco behind Warp Gates... Surely, if it was possible to make an object have Teleporting powers, then a person could do so too; with enough need and will-power? She sat there for a few moments, merely thinking about it, still holding Skyheed close to her. The rain, which always seemed to be present as of late, was now utterly throwing it down. Ava adjusted and held Skyheed even closer. _I need to think of somewhere... somewhere safer..._ There were sounds of plane engines overhead and it was obvious by the searchlights through the dark sky, that they had found Ava's plane. _Come one, Ava... think..._ _**Aeropan Barracks!**_ There was a sickening feeling as the all too familiar sensation of Teleporting threw itself over Ava. Dark Eco surrounded the both of them and the sudden vortex pulled Skyheed away from her. She screamed and then lost consciousness, briefly.

* * *

Ava gained consciousness just before the Dark Eco faded and she found herself within some sort of control room. Skyheed was laying on the floor just feet away and the décor reassured her that they were within Aeropan territory. Blueish-purple tiles and white walls were skilfully worked around the vast dormant control panels, which were covered in light cobwebs. _Nobody has been here since the great war..._ Ava thought, remembering only stories, as she was too young to remember. It was Skyheed's father that brought on the war... and thankfully his death stopped it. Poor Skyheed then had to take up the reins and bring Aeropa out of that... Looking around, she ran her fingers along panels and brushed some dust off the windows in order to look outside. _We're at the barracks!_ She knew from rumours that this place was full of unused Dark Eco which flooded different floors and sectors. She checked on Skyheed before walking to the other side of the room; intrigued by a small, but present, flashing red light on one of the far panels.

Once at the panel, Ava brushed away some of the cobwebs and looked more closely at the flashing red light. _A standby button?_ Pressing it, there was a sudden jolt of activity and all the panels turned on, along with the lighting that wanted to work. Only the sound of a faint murmur behind her made Ava redirect her attention from the panel of moving shapes and strange readings. _Skyheed was moving!_ She dashed over and knelt by his side, pulling him towards her so his head was laying upon her lap. His eyelids fluttered a few times before faint blue slits appeared.  
"Why hello blue eyes." Ava smiled, remembering the first time she said that. Skyheed blinked and each time he did so, his eyes opened a little more. After taking in a sharp breath he made a barely audible sound;  
"_Ava..._" He muttered, his throat sounding very coarse and sore. _"But..."_  
"You... _died._" Ava sobbed, wiping a stray tear from her face. Her facial expression seemed to tell the entire story.  
"I know..." His voice cut out. _Everything must have been transferred from the Orb._ "Where are we?" He was struggling to speak.

"The old Aeropan Barracks." She replied, looking around. A look of surprise crossed her face when Skyheed pulled himself up and sat up against the control panel.  
"In which case..." Skyheed said, catching his breath again. He was weak... and it was showing. _But wouldn't you be after dying?_ "... we can contact the Behemoth from here..." Again he paused for breath and a slight wince in pain. "... the control panel behind me has a com system built in..." Ava pulled herself off the floor and scanned it, easily finding the system.  
"What should I say?" She asked Skyheed. His eyes were now closed and he shrugged his shoulders.  
"Be imaginative."  
"This is Ava, calling any Aeropan ships in the sector... we require immediate medical help." She waited for a few moments, with no reply. Scared, she repeated the message.  
"This is the Behemoth... please state your location." Ava smudged a grin across her face and smiled. Skyheed even managed to pull a slight smile from somewhere.  
"Were within the Control Room of the Aeropan Barracks." Ava replied, swiftly.  
"I see..." That voice sounded familiar to Skyheed.  
"Chancellor..." He shouted as loud as he could, just about making enough for the average speaking voice.  
"My Duke?" He questioned immediately.  
"Yes for crying out loud, Ruskin!" Ava shouted, growing agitated.  
"We'll send a team down immediately, Sir." The Chancellor spoke, with a certain tone of relief upon his voice.

While waiting for the team to navigate their way through the winding corridors of the Barracks, Ava curled up to Skyheed's side.  
"I missed you." He said, wrapping his arm around her. Nothing more was said until the Aid team arrived to take them back to Aeropa. 

_Could it be the start of a new Era for Aeropa... or is sweet love going to turn sour?_


	14. Rerouted Feelings

_**This is for Nat :) Enjoy this ultra long chapter... and I assure you, there is more after this one :O... somehow! I did go a little mad... a little. The amount of times I've wanted to end it and upload a chapter was incredible... but I ploughed on. I've put breaks throughout...Nat... you wanted a longer chapter, so I scaled it up and gave you one :) Please drop a review... this one took me ages and it would be a real spirit boost :) Since I am currently recovering from hand cramp. I did write half of this before, but my computer went on a murderous rampage and deleted it, so I had to start again... oh the annoyance. Anyway... enjoy :) xxx PS... I wrot most of this in a day. xx**_

* * *

_**Rerouted Feelings**_

Three weeks had passed since Skyheed and Ava had been rescued from the Aeropan Barracks. Those three weeks had flown by. Ava had moved into the Palace with Skyheed and once he had got his energy back, he began to build up his Eco again. Ava had noticed that Skyheed was spending more and more time on the top of the Palace, at the Dark Eco Fountain. Being up there was the perfect place in which to sit quietly and build on your Eco powers; it was quiet and the Eco coming from the fountain had been filtered and was in its pure state, therefore was more powerful than its raw state. This concerned Ava, as Gol had told her; smaller amounts of Eco are more powerful than large amounts when used properly.

Ava had also observed a change in Skyheed's temperaments and mannerisms. Before... he use to be soft and caring, would sit and talk with her for hours and they would lay and stare at the stars while he ran his fingers through her hair. But now... his temper was short and the smallest of imperfections annoyed him. He was withdrawn during dinner and at most other times in the day and according to the Chancellor, he hadn't been attending the council meetings. Instead, he had been up to the Eco Fountain, regaining his power and probably a lot more on top of that. _What a misconception._

* * *

Ava lay awake in bed. Skyheed hadn't been around all day and he certainly wasn't there at five minutes past midnight. Ava swore that the clock hadn't moved for the past hour or so. So many thoughts were going through her head that it rendered her sleepless. _Surely he hadn't been messing about with Eco all day!_ She turned over an sighed. It was all going so well. Skyheed had recovered quite quickly from his _death_ experience and was making good progress gaining his strength again... then this... Ava was convinced Skyheed was addicted to the Eco and obviously needed helping, but with the nasty temperament he had lately, she didn't want to approach him with such statements.

Ava was finally drifting off to sleep when she heard the door to their quarters open and then close rather harshly. _Sounds like something didn't go well..._ Ava was worrying. She had been afraid of Skyheed since he had been getting short tempered. There was some rustling as Skyheed slid off his boots and took his shirt off. After getting ready for bed, he shuffled over and got in. Ava stayed still until she heard him sigh and turn over to face her. She didn't want him to realise she was worrying in case he did something... Ava tried to act normal, so she moved closer to him and brush her hand up his chest, resting her head just below his chin. He smelt like sweat and pure eco. _Must have been channelling all day..._ Unlike he usually did, Skyheed did not pull Ava closer to him, instead he shuffled and turned over; back now to Ava. _Don't be afraid..._ Ava shuffled closer to Skyheed and wrapped her arm around him, so her hand was placed on the centre of his chest. He sighed and held it before sitting up and getting back out of bed.  
"What's wrong?" Ava asked, sympathetically.  
"Nothing that concerns _you_..." Skyheed snapped, walking out of the room. Ava's heart sank. _Why was he being like this if he wanted me so much?_ She just couldn't understand. _Maybe it wasn't meant to be... Maybe he had a change of heart..._

Ava felt sick at the thought and there was no way she was going to sleep at all tonight. So, swinging her legs over the side of the bed she picked up the phone.  
"_Hello?" _Said a voice on the other side of the line in a very sleepy, very agitated state.  
"Hi, Natla." Ava muttered, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"AVA? Oh my, how are you?" She shouted down the phone. Natla was one of Ava's closer friends when down at the Hangar and they shared an apartment at one point for a few weeks.  
"Well... it's a bit of a long story..." Ava mumbled, looking towards the door, hoping that Skyheed would walk in, say sorry and be in a better mood. Of course it didn't happen.

"I have all night, babe." She laughed, knowing that she was now wide awake and there was no way that she would go back to sleep knowing that one of her best friends is in some sort of distress.

"Well, everything has been great..." she trailed off.  
"Well, why do you sound so... _off_ then?" Natla asked, rustling around.  
"Because..." she paused, "He's changed. Something doesn't seem right. He's been off towards me and is always withdrawn _and_ he is spending way too much time up at the Eco Fountain." Ava's tone was one of distress.

"Oh, Ava. Have you asked what's wrong?" Everyone know that Skyheed was with Ava, it's just nobody knew who she was, except for those closest to her and of course those who worked in the palace.

"I'm scared to..." There was a silence and then Natla spoke.

"Has he said something to you? Because if he has, it doesn't matter if he's the Duke of..."

"Natla." Ava butted in. "Don't. He didn't _do_ anything... _I suppose..._"

"Ava? What happened?" Natla sounded concerned.

"Nothing major. He's not himself, so I'm not blaming him for anything. I tried to cuddle up to him and I asked him if he was alright, but he got out of bed and said that it didn't concern me... Nothing major!" Ava laughed a laugh that was one made during awkward situations.

"Are you alright?" Natla asked, "You can come and stay with me if you like... let him get on with it. He'll soon see how much he misses you." Ava didn't reply, she was quietly crying. "Tell you what, I'll meet you outside the Wayward Vesper in about ten minutes, pack what you need."

"Okay..." Ava put the phone down and pulled her suitcase from under the bed. Wiping her eyes, she padded into the wardrobe and brushed passed Skyheed's jackets. Everything in there was well sorted, so it was easy to find what she needed. Draws housed underwear and the far railings had her clothes and pyjamas. Throwing what was necessary into the suitcase, she herself put some clothes on and threw on one of Skyheed's jackets, since one in which she was having tailor made in the Aeropa style still had not been finished. After one last look around the room, she let quietly and made her way, untraced, through the palace and out into the city.

* * *

By the time Ava arrived outside the Wayward Vesper, Natla was already there. She was stood, leant up against the wall to the bar and tapping away on her mobile phone. It wasn't long before she noticed Ava walking closer to her and throwing her phone into her bag, she dashed over and gave her a hug. Smiling, they walked together back to Natla's apartment; nothing was said on the journey.

* * *

"What are you going to do?" Natla asked Ava, handing her a cup of tea. Both of them were sat in Natla's lounge and the TV was on some sort of chat show. Considering it was now 2am, there was always _something _on the TV, thankfully for them both.  
"I don't know..." Ava sighed, sipping some of her tea, "Suppose all I can do is see what happens."

"Yes... I guess so. Well, don't stay up to late." Natla joked, walking into her room to go back to sleep. Ava smiled a reply and sipped some more of her tea. _I should really be getting to bed. _After washing up her mug, Ava padded into the spare bedroom and changed. She had only spend a few weeks in the Palace, but it had already felt like home. Now she wasn't there... she felt homesick, but as homesick as she was, she didn't want to go back to the suddenly unloving Skyheed. _Something had definitely changed._

* * *

Morning... which was already present when she went to bed, had awoke her with some sudden sunshine blaring through the bedroom window. Jumping into bed at 2am was never a good idea and forgetting to close the curtains made the situation all the more annoying. On the bright side, Ava had slept rather well. There was no waiting until stupid-o-clock for Skyheed to come in before she could get to sleep and there were no sudden beeping noises signalling that there was something wrong. Smiling to herself, but feeling hurt inside, Ava but on a brave face and headed out into the Lounge, where she was not just met by Natla... but Chancellor Ruskin also.

Ava made a few questioning looks, and looked around before sitting next to Natla.  
"Ava..." The Chancellor started, "I need some help."

"Why?" Ava asked, leaning back into the sofa, "And how did you find me?"

"Once it was obvious you weren't around... I rang a few of your friends and well, here I am. As for why... Skyheed's gone mad on power and he needs help. I was wondering if you could talk to him? If he's going to listen to anyone it's going to be you." The Chancellor stood up and looked out of the window, towards the palace. Ava stayed quiet, thinking about everything that happened last night.

"Alright." She said, finally breaking the silence. After all, she loved him and that certainly couldn't be helped. What could have been helped on the other hand was the fact that Natla was wearing embarrassingly pink bunny slippers.

"Brilliant." The Chancellor spoke, standing up. "He's currently at the Eco Fountain... well, thats where I left him." Ava nodded and followed the Chancellor out of the door and up the street.

They neared the Palace, and once through the main foyer, the Chancellor turned to face Ava.

"So, why did you leave?" He asked, turning a corner.  
"He's changed." Ava muttered.

"I know..." It seemed that the Chancellor had also noticed the sudden change in Skyheed, "He's been withdrawn from the council meetings and I haven't seen him around the Palace like usual. He's been spending way too much time up at the Eco Fountain; sure he needed to build his strength back again, but this is taking it too far. I'm afraid that he's going to make himself ill..." Once the Chancellor had finished his sentence, they had arrived at the stone lift in which lead up to the Eco Fountain. There was a mere nod from Ava, as she stepped onto the lift and the doors closed. It took around three minutes to get to the top, and during that time she admired the carved Aeropan symbol on the stone lift itself.

The lift made no jolt as it reached the top and opened. Ava had only been up here once before; when she had first moved into the Palace. She and Skyheed spend a romantic night under the stars, talking about the future and past alike, reminiscing about their childhoods and of course messing around with a bit of Eco. Now on the other hand, the atmosphere was different. There seemed to be a definite uncomfortable feeling in the air and the sky had started to go very dark above. Ava cautiously stepped out of the lift and recoiled back. With their back to her was a _monster._ Whatever or whoever it was, was at least eight foot high and had a deep purple skin colour; veins were bulging around its neck. Ava's heart was beating so much she was afraid it was going to leap out of her chest, but nothing prepared it for what soon became apparent. As the monster turned around, it was clear who it was. With deep black eyes and canine teeth that could rival that of a dog... was _Skyheed..._ Or what _was _Skyheed. His Dark Eco control was always good, but this had got out of hand. He had turned himself into a monster. Scared at what she saw... and the rumours surrounding Dark Eco in her head... Ava backed off into someone.

Chancellor Ruskin was stood behind her, with a face of disappointment on his face.  
"My Duke!" He shouted, getting the beast to turn around and stare at him straight in the eyes. The Chancellor walked forward, towards Skyheed and then stopped. We were close to the edge of the balcony, and from up there you could see the entire city which would have been a great sight to behold if it wasn't for the current happenings.  
"Chancellor." Skyheed spoke. His voice was raspy and much deeper than before.  
"This has gone too far!" Ruskin shouted, looking back at Ava; who was looking terrified.  
"Of course you would say that Chancellor. We don't have enough Dark Eco! The more we have the stronger we will be! Don't you understand?" He was really beginning to scare Ava, who was seriously contemplating running away, but she couldn't turn her back on him...

"Sir. You cannot do this! It will be our downfall!" As he said that, Skyheed seemed to go into some sort of anger frenzy. Charging up what seemed to be an Eco-Sphere in his hands, Skyheed shot it at Ruskin, who stumbled backwards from the force and over the edge of the balcony.  
"SKYHEED?" Ava shouted, getting the monsters attention. The very second that Skyheed's blackened and cold eyes met Ava's soft, innocent ones she felt herself become overwhelmed with fear and ran. The lift couldn't of moved any quicker and once it got to the bottom, she dashed out and made her way back to Natla's, tears streaming down her cheeks. As she made it to the streets close to Natla's apartment, there was a loud explosion. Stumbling, Ava turned around and looked up. Large spheres of Dark Eco were being shot from the Fountain Balcony and smashing into buildings, causing explosions and fire. Ava was horrified..._ Why was he doing this!_ She ran away from a sudden explosion and dodged a few flames before she finally came to the street in which Natla resided on.

* * *

"Ava... What's going on?" Natla cried out, running over to Ava.  
"Skyheed's gone mad on power!" She exclaimed at the same time of another loud explosion. There were medics and doctors running all over the city and Ava's mind wandered to Ruskin.

"Well, I suppose we should just stay here and hope we don't get bombed." Natla sat down and looked worriedly out of the window closest to her. _It's going to be a long night..._

* * *

Neither of them slept very well, as they were out on the street helping the injured out of fallen buildings and putting out some of the smaller fires. _Who could sleep in such circumstances anyway?_ Once back inside the surprisingly standing apartment, both women fell backward onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. It wasn't long though before something interrupted their peaceful slumber; the telephone. Ava sighed and crawled across the floor to it.  
"Hello?" She answered, yawning.  
"Ava?" Said a croaky voice of a man she felt like she knew.  
"Ruskin?"  
"Yes, now Ava, I need you to come to the Hospital... or what's standing. I need to talk to you." There was no need for further interaction, so both put the phone down. _How the hell was she going to get to the Hospital? The theatre building had fallen down and was blocking most access, any other way around was being policed for emergencies only._

Ava looked over at the sleeping Natla and decided that it was best to leave her sleeping, even if it was dangerous. Putting on a sturdier pair of boots and a tighter fitting black jacket, Ava walked back out onto the street and towards the closest Hangar. She had started her career in this very one, its where it all begun all those years ago. Now, it was deserted and most of the planes were not in working order, but Ava was sure that she left something here... and it wasn't the kind of thing you would throw away without wanting to know what it was. So, she walked into the store room and turned on the light, which flickered a few times before gaining enough power to turn on.

Inside the store room were many boxes filled with old plane parts and god knows what else. But in the far corner, as she had suspected, was something she had made when she was much younger; a glider, built to monk designs. Smiling, she walked over and picked it up. There were a few tears in the wings but it would still work for what she wanted it for.

Back outside, she climbed to the top of a rather large pile of rubble and strapped the glider to her back, readying herself. One she was ready, she leapt from the pile of rubble and caught a stream of air with the canvas wings of the glider. She gained height quite easily and sailed over the top of the ruined theatre and road blocks. She hadn't done this for so long, but it all came flooding back. Once the Hospital was in sight, she pulled a dive and landed outside, leaving the glider propped up against a wall.

The Hospital was in two halves. It had been cut straight down the middle by a falling tower and made getting from wing to wing rather difficult. Ava walked into the only door she could see and was greeted by a friendly, but frustrated looking nurse.  
"Can I help you, miss?" She asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"I'm looking for the Chancellor." She said, looking around. Ava was pointed in a vague direction before the nurse rushed off to greet another patient. There weren't as many people in the Hospital as Ava first thought there would be but that thought dissolved once she lay her eyes on a side room with '_Chancellor Ruskin_' written on a plaque mounted on the door.

Ava knocked on the door and walked in, where she lay eyes on a very bandaged looking Chancellor. His arms were pretty much the only thing that didn't appear to be in bandages; the rest of him being either casted or bruised, which didn't look right with his skinny body shape.  
"Chancellor?" She asked, walking over and sitting on the side of his bed.  
"Ah, Ava." He said, opening his eyes.  
"How are you feeling?" Ava smiled.  
"Better than I was. Now, enough with the small talk. Scouts have told us that Skyheed has moved from the Palace and headed towards the Eco Core." The Chancellor started, before being suddenly interrupted by Ava.

"What? But... He'll kill himself if he carries on this way... _again._" She cupped her head in her hands and continued to listen to Ruskin, not intending to interrupt this time.  
"Yes, I know. But that is the least of our worries at the moment, as harsh as it sounds. Aeropa is falling, Ava, and someone is needed to lead in rebuilding the city; to bring it back to its high status. I cannot do this Ava, apart from being currently bedridden, I am merely a Chancellor, I can only advise on running a City, but cannot do it myself."  
"What are you getting at, Ruskin?" Ava asked, lifting her head from its previous position.  
"Ava, you are _technically_ the next heir to the throne. Skyheed's step-brother died many years ago, when he ran the city. Sadly, he died during a sky battle with pirates and his body was never found. In which case, Skyheed took over, being the only family left, even if he was only sixteen years of age. Now, since you are with the Duke, it is your duty to take the reins in such times." Hearing such things, Ava practically passed out.

"I don't mean to be rude, Chancellor, but I cant run a city!" Ava stood up and looked surprised.

"You won't be alone, Ava. The council will be behind you. Common sense will be your strength... your a smart girl, Ava, I have faith in you. " The Chancellor coughed, before looking up towards Ava, who was looking out of the window at the burning Aeropa. Nothing pained her more than seeing the place where she grew up burn under Eco fires along with people and their belongings.  
"Alright, Ruskin. I will, but I'm going to need a lot of help." She turned around and smiled. The Chancellor looked somewhat relieved.  
"Now, Ava. First thing's first. Go back to Natla's and get her to come to the Palace with you. I'll meet you there. I'm sure a friend in the rankings would help." She nodded and proceeded to walk back out of the Hospital and out to the Glider. It would be much easier to get into the Palace. Ruskin would obviously be on crutches, but his knowledge on running a city was valuable. _What a day it was turning out to be._

* * *

Once Ava had explained the fact that she was now in charge to Aeropa to Natla and that she needed all the help she needed, both of them set off for the Palace, where they were to oversee everything that was going to happen to get Aeropa back online and moving smoothly. Ruskin was going to take some time to fully heal. After all, he did fall from the balcony and land atop a roof. Most of him broke upon impact but thankfully for the advanced Eco Technology in Aeropa, he was fixed quite quickly. _Look at Skyheed, he died and he's alright... kind of._

* * *

The Palace was practically lifeless, unlike before. There were no soldiers walking around, nor were there noblemen. It felt so strange, so empty, so... not like home. It was horrible not to see all the enthusiastic people; asking how you were or if you needed help with anything under the sun, but there was no time to ponder on such feelings. Ava had a city to lead and rebuild. A few flights of stairs later and both women were outside the main hall; where most of the important decisions were made for Aeropa and the Council took place. It too was as deserted as the rest of the palace.

Pushing the doors open, Ava and Natla were greeted by a lone council member who was sat upon a chair facing a large window. Acknowledging our footsteps, he turned around and smiled a depressive smile. His feelings seemed to give out what the entire council wee feeling, and indeed the city too... _hope._  
"Well, lets not delay!" A voice said from behind Natla. She moved out of the way and much to Ava's surprise, Chancellor Ruskin hobbled past.  
"Chancellor, I wasn't expecting you until later on." The other council member said, standing from his seat. He swiftly made his way towards the growing gathering and folded his arms.

"Yes, well... Things need to be done, and young Ava here can't do this on her own." He smiled at her and adjusted his crutches. "Assemble the council, we need to look over the situation in more detail." The Chancellor didn't have to say it twice; the Other council member swiftly moved out of the door and in a spontaneous direction. "Natla, it's nice to see you again. It appears Ava has chosen you to be in her close council."  
"Yeh, I guess so." Natla mumbled, still in awe at the sheer size and royal decoration of the hall they were in. Ava smiled at her. It was all just about setting in... all becoming real in her mind. How she was going to manage it she didn't know but what she did know was that inside that black heart of Skyheed's, he obviously felt something, at least at some point. If he didn't then surely he wouldn't of wrote down that she was to take over if anything happened to him? Whatever was going on in his head... somewhere he knew something...

* * *

"What is this about, Chancellor? This... _girl_... has no right to the throne. Such a commoner has no idea what it takes to run such a vast and technological city." The cocky, short man spoke, standing from his seat in the council and pacing in an intimidating and powerful way. "... and besides... the council could cope on its own." There was a sudden mumble of talk between the council members; each stating their opinions on what was just said. Ruskin would of stood up and protested but his current state of health prevented him on doing so. Instead he spoke slightly louder than usual in order to be heard;  
"I disagree, Mason. The city cannot stand without a definite leader... you know that."

"We cannot neglect Aeropa... Such an insignificant citizen could not possibly sustain a city of this depth..." Another man spoke, standing next to this man named Mason. There was obviously a strong allegiance between them and it was easy to see.

"Poppycock!" The Chancellor exclaimed, frowning. "I believe Miss Ava to be one of the most dedicated and level minded people I know. Sure, she isn't trained in etiquette or formal attributes but she is one of the most sensible and understanding people I have had the pleasure to meet." He smiled towards Ava, who was sat next to Natla. Both looked as if they were locked into an awkward situation, which they were.

"You seem awfully defensive, Chancellor. Are you _hiding_ something?" Mason asked, shooting Ruskin a devilish grin. There was more muttering amongst the other council members and Ruskin felt as if he was loosing the battle.  
"I am not hiding any information. Mason, your sudden hatred towards Ava concerns me, is it in fact you who are deciding to hide something?" There was an awkward silence between the council as Mason thought of something to say. Ava could almost see cogs turning around in his head while she smirked.

"I, Chancellor, wouldn't dare hide anything from the council." He sat back down and adopted a posture which conveyed cockiness.  
"Then why, Mason..." Ruskin began with venom in his voice; "... Have you not told the council that the Duke himself wrote that should anything happen to him, young Ava here is to be supported in her taking of Aeropa until the time he is able to retake the reins." A sense of satisfaction obviously swept its way through Ruskin's broken and bruised body as a smile extended itself over his face. This was probably the first time Ava had ever seen Ruskin smile in such a way.

Natla nudged Ava and motioned to look towards the council member they now knew as Mason. He was sat well and truly in his chair looking like he had been put well into his place. Other council members were looking towards Ruskin, in the hope that he would explain his evidence further and of course, Ruskin did.

"Well, my friends." He began, pulling out a piece of parchment from his jacket pocket. "The Duke states that _All power of mine shall be given to Ava in the event that I am unable, for whatever reason, to lead Aeropa. She shall have your full confidence and support through this time and this shall continue up until the point that I am able to return to my position. _Signed, Duke Skyheed." There was silence as the members mulled over what was just spoken and those who questioned the authenticity of the letter, were swiftly put into their place when Ruskin showed them the signature they knew all too well. Ava still didn't understand why Skyheed hadn't given the power to Ruskin, after all, he would have been much better suited and he has much more experience in this sort of thing.  
"But why _her_?" Mason asked, finally breaking the silence between him and Ruskin. Ava's heart practically stopped. Sure, she had moved into Aeropa with the Duke and quite a few people knew that they were together, but the council was not one of those few. She had, of course attended a few councils under the false identity of Lady Loveguar: a woman who was of great battle instincts and attacking procedures. Naturally, the council hadn't suspected a thing. _Why were they hiding such a thing?_ It was simple. Ava wasn't of Noble blood and therefore such relationship would be frowned upon in the council, and many people in Aeropa would probably feel the same way. The reality of the situation had just hit Ava truly. As far as the Aeropans are concerned, a commoner with no knowledge what-so-ever had just wriggled herself onto the throne. _Awkward._  
"The reason why is unknown to me." Ruskin replied, bluntly. Mason seemed satisfied and so was Ava.

"Well then." Mason smiled, "Welcome to the Council of Aeropa and I hope you know what your getting yourself into."

"Thank you." Was all Ava said. _That was difficult._  
"I think our young Highness here should get to bed, it's late. We can continue this in the morning, maybe even sort this mess out." Mason laughed, standing up. Ava nodded her head and followed Ruskin out and towards her temporary quarters. It was safer not to go in her old room, so not to arouse suspicion.

After a while of walking, Ruskin stopped outside a large door.  
"That was interesting." Ruskin smiled, adjusting his crutches.  
"Awkward..." Ava replied, opening the door. She sent a smile towards Natla, who was just about to enter her quarters opposite.

"I suppose you could call it that. Goodnight ladies, I shall come for you at 8am sharp." With that, Ruskin hobbled off and Ava went silently into the room behind her.

The room was much like her old one. A large open space with seating leading up to three shallow steps which lead to the bed and a large surrounding window. The Aeropans sure knew good architecture and what looks amazing. It was modern... with a hint of character. Smiling, Ava sat down on the edge of the bed. She was so glad to be back in the Palace; it was home to her, even if Skyheed was off somewhere else, destroying the world while he was at it. Settling down under the sheets, she wandered about what tomorrow would bring. The council meeting in the morning was going to have the same awkward atmosphere, and chances were she would actually have to say more than a thank you to fully gain their trust.

* * *

Ava awoke suddenly to the sound of rustling. It took a moment or two for her ears to actually respond to the sound, but once she was able to tune in she identified the noise as someone moving around. From what she could tell from the muffled footsteps, the person, or thing, was heavy on its feel and scuffed when they walked. Eventually, Ava gained the courage to sit up and confront whatever it was, but much to her surprise, it got there first. There was a sudden gust of cold air as the covers were whipped off her body and a cheery voice sang the words 'Good Morning'. Ava's eyes snapped open and her arms automatically wrapped themselves around her heat deprived body. It was like being nice and warm by a log fire and then being picked up and being thrown into a lake on a freezing winters morning.

Once sat up, Ava could see the top of someone's head walking around the bottom of her bed. Every now and again it would bob down and whoever it belonged to, they would mutter something. Ava's eyes followed the visual anomaly until it popped it's head around the corner of her bed, revealing a short woman, who in truth resembled a goblin. She had winding hair which had turned a brownish grey, her clothing was simple and she had a distinct twinkle in her eyes.  
"Good Morning, your Highness!" She laughed, tapping Ava's leg with her hand. Ava smiled and stood up, allowing the odd looking woman to make the bed. "Chancellor Ruskin will be here in half an hour." Ava acknowledged what she said, but didn't reply. She was far too intrigued by the woman to summon words. "Oh my. I should introduce myself shouldn't I. I'm not used to new faces... we usual have pretty much the same guests all year round; different ones at different times of the year, you know? Well, I'm Kayara and I will be your chambermaid."

"Well, Kayara, its a pleasure." Ava smiled and she received a rather excited grin back.

"I've never looked after royalty before. Never in my forty years working here have I had royalty..." She trailed off in a daydream before snapping back into reality rather sharply. "We need to get you ready." She swiftly handed Ava a pile of clothes and ushered her into the bathroom to change.

Once the door clicked closed, Ava stared at the pile of clothes which had been thrust into her arms. What caught her eye immediately was the pair of dull yellow slacks and silver belt. After talking them off the pile and hanging them over the edge of the bath, Ava continued to look at what she was required to wear. A simple white, short sleeved blouse was next, followed by jacket in the signature Aeropan purple colour. It was made to fit, somehow, and was almost Chinese in design: plain, but zipped up more to the side than the centre.

Opening the door, Ava made her way out and smartened herself up in the mirror. It was 5 minutes to eight. She had just enough time to put her hair up into a neat bun before Chancellor Ruskin walked in accompanied by Natla. No words were exchanged, just mere glances were enough to understand they they had to make their way to the Council.

* * *

There was an awkward atmosphere as Ava and Natla walked into the hall and sat down. There was the same introduction format as always; why they were there and what they were going to be talking about.  
"Morning all." Ruskin spoke, Staying stood up with the help of his crutches; knowing that I he was to sit down, he wouldn't get back up again for a while. "We all know why were here this morning. The matter up for discussion is Aeropa itself and its current state." There was silence as members thought about what to say. Natla shot Ava a look and after picking up the courage... she went to speak. Before she did though, Mason stood up.  
"What is there to discuss? Aeropa has fallen and thats the end of it." Mason's negative talk sparked something in Ava;

" Aeropa will only fall if you believe it will." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not the most positive person on this planet thanks to a lot of things that have happened to me, but I know when something isn't lost. Aeropa isn't lost. Sure, its not exactly in the most immaculate condition right now and many people's lives are in danger but there is still hope." There was universal agreement signalled by nodding from the council members.  
"And what makes you think, that _you_ can bring Aeropa back from its current burning state?" Mason was really beginning to frustrate Ava, with his negative attitude and questioning personality.  
"I have common sense." Her reply was blunt and brought a smile from Natla, who was otherwise sat there bored out of her mind. She wasn't anything important to the council, but was merely there to support Ava.

"So, your _Majesty..._ what do you propose we do?" Ava gave a frightened look towards Chancellor Ruskin, who merely nodded in such a way that said _speak._  
"I propose..." Ava started, professionally pacing, "... that we get out of here."  
"WHAT?" Mason shouted, standing up in protest. "Are you insane?"  
"That is no way to talk to your superior, Mason! You wouldn't dare to speak to our Duke in that way, and it is in his wishes that you treat Ava in the same way." Ruskin called back. This was getting heated and Natla appeared to be feeling very uncomfortable. There was a quick exchange of words between her and Ruskin which resulted in her leaving. _She couldn't cope with the responsibility... if she couldn't... then..._  
"You heard what I said." Ava spoke again, " I don't think at this time, that Aeropa is safe. Burning buildings are falling and people's lives are in danger. I propose that we leave." She had drawn confidence from somewhere.  
"A proposal... or an order?" Chancellor Ruskin spoke. The look on his face was enough to remind Ava that she wasn't just a member of the council... but she was at the head of Aeropa.  
"An order." Ruskin smiled at her request, she was finally getting the hand of the ruling malarkey. "I want every Aeropan to be flown out of the city and to safety."

"And where do you propose we go? You can't just spontaneously move an entire city of people halfway across the Brink." Mason was trying his hardest to pick holes in Ava's plan, but she had it worked out an entire two minutes ago, so it was obviously flawless. _Not. _

"The Old Aeropan Barracks. If we can restore power there, then it would be a perfect refuge for now." Ava was trying to act passionate.

"I see... I have to admit that..." Mason began.  
"Admit what?" Ruskin asked, he knew this man all to well. He was either going to be utterly truthful or he was planning to say something witty.  
"I have to admit that idea is... doable." He was almost ashamed to admit it.  
"Good." Ava smiled, " I want all Aeropans to begin to be moved as of now. The quicker we can get out of Aeropa, the quicker we can feel safe and start sorting the mess out from a distance." There was a unified agreement as the council members stood up and shook Ava's hand. Fair enough, she was doing well on her first day on the job.

* * *

By midday on Thursday, just three days after the last council meeting, the last plane load of Aeropans had taken off and were on their way to the Barracks. Thankfully, the magicians that were actually electricians had managed to get the power back on and drain some of the leaked Dark Eco to make it more user friendly. The Aeropans were great at 'change-of-circumsance' situations and so they just got on with what was presented before them. Ava and Ruskin were left alone in Aeropa, waiting on the last pilot to fly them to the Barracks. She wanted to be the last to leave because she believed that her people were more important... this true feeling easily won the trust of most of her council members: of course Mason was still reluctant to agree. The plane was then ready, and with a backward glance, Ava left Aeropa for the second time, watching it burn from the skies.

* * *

The Barracks had been efficiently changed into a giant living space. Places which once held scientific equipment were now places for the injured to heal and one of the many Eco-Testing rooms were now filled with temporary bedding. Each Aeropan was doing what they could to make the Barracks a more liveable space. Sure, they were called _Barracks_... you would presume that they would automatically be suited for living. If you thought this, you'd be wrong. Once, the Aeropan Barracks had been home to the Aeropan army, before the Dark Eco Experiments began there. This explains why there was so much equipment; it could rival that of the Abandoned Research Rig... the reason it was abandoned? Easy... Disturbances from Precurson Engineering below.

Ava moved through the people and towards a room that had been dedicated for the council. There were a few other Aeropans in there in which Ava had never lay eyes on before. Naturally, they were swiftly introduced as the main brains in the Labs. They were the scientific heart to Aeropa.  
"What are we going to do?" One of them asked, looking out of a foggy window. Their lab coats were blowing in the draft and their glasses were covered in steam.

"Help him." Ava replied, hugging herself in the hope to retain some warmth. Aeropan coats were usually very warm, if not over powering, but in the cold air in the middle of the Brink it didn't stand a chance.  
"Help who?" Another scientist asked.  
"Duke Skyheed." Ava was being blunt. For such intelligent people they were being very thick.  
"The Eco has mutated his cells, leaving him vulnerable to the dark precursors. His very DNA has been warped. The man you knew died long ago, now only a shadow of him survives... the possibility he is still in there is slim." He pulled his lab coat around him as he said those words, which were painful for Ava to hear; sad but true.  
"You cant just give up!" Ava retorted. Tears were brewing in her eyes, but she couldn't show them.  
"There may be a way... It would be dangerous though." He was rubbing his chin in that signature thinking way.  
"What? Tell me!" Ava was growing desperate, and she didn't mind if she started crying. The other council members had gone to help out the injured and the scientist and her were the only ones in the room.  
"One possibility, a risk filled one if that, a shot would be able to contain him. A medical shot which would render him unconscious in which we could decrease the eco in his blood stream. It's a ludicrous proposal, but it can work." The scientist didn't seem sure, but if there was a chance that the Skyheed Ava once knew was still in there, then she would do anything to bring him back.

"So... it would have to be administered as usual... in the arm?" Ava asked, trying to plan a way in which she would actually manage to give Skyheed the shot if she had the chance.  
"Not at all. Once a cell has been mutated by Dark Eco, it becomes very resistant and therefore stronger. Piercing his skin would prove to be impossible with a normal hypodermic needle, if you could even get close to him. It would have to be a very fine needle and probably shot at him: the velocity would help in piercing the skin. The neck would be the best place to try... if we were able to make the shot in the first place." He was seeming slightly more confident.  
"Then do it. Have every able scientist or highly qualified man in the labs, I want it made as soon as possible." There was a quick 'yes miss' as the scientists walked out to start work.

It wasn't just Ava who was relying on Skyheed coming back... but it was the entirety of Aeropa as well... without him, they wouldn't be able to truly be themselves. Aeropa wouldn't stand a chance without his impeccable rein.

* * *

"Miss Ava, Miss Ava!" Cried a young boy, who came running into the Council room. It had been four days since she had dismissed the scientists to make the shot and she still had heard nothing. Now, all of a sudden, a twelve year boy had barged in on Ava and Ruskin's conversation on what they were going to do.

"Yes?" Ava was being polite, even if children annoy her.

"My father said to tell you that his scouts have seen Duke Skyheed go into the Eco Core complex. He arrived there last night and hasn't moved." He was genuinely out of breath and Ava now knew who the young boy was. Pete was the General's son and a very well brought up lad.  
"Really? Well that information is invaluable, thank you." He was escorted quickly out of the room and Ava looked up at Ruskin. "Well?"

"We can only hope that the Scientists come up with something." Ruskin said, looking out of the window.  
"I guess so." She muttered in reply. _It's all we can do... wait. _

* * *

A further two days passed before Ava was finally called for. Throwing on her boots she dashed down to the labs, through several Dark Eco flooded corridors. She was warmly welcomed and almost immediately handed what looked like a normal pistol. The scientist in which she was speaking to days ago approached her and handed her a small box. Inside was a transparent bullet with a blood red, thick liquid inside. No words needed to be exchanged between the two people, as both knew what it was and what needed to be done. So loading the pistol with the transparent bullet, Ava walked out and headed towards the Hangar.

Along the way she met Ruskin, who was looking for her. It was late afternoon already and Ava knew she had to move quickly if she was going to catch a pilot today, to take her to the Eco Core.  
"Ruskin, I have the shot." Ava had a nervous smile on her face.  
"Right, what do you want me to do while your gone?" His tone was genuine and over the past few days they had really become to know each other.  
"Start taking the people back to Aeropa. The fires should of burnt out by now. We need to start rebuilding as soon as possible." She received a nod in return from Ruskin before she continued her run down to the Hangar.

She was briefly met by a selection of pilots. None of them wanted to fly to the Eco Core for obvious reasons: The sky around that area was prone to Sky Pirate attacks and the fact that Skyheed was currently warranting a blood bath might have been just a few reasons. They directed her towards what used to be a 'spare parts' cupboard and inside, was a middle aged man with the freakiest pair of green eyes you have ever seen. They were two different shades and seemed to see deep inside your soul, or thats the impression that they gave. Ava asked the man whether he would be willing to fly her to the Eco Core, and almost immediately he replied with a yes. He wasted no time in dragging poor Ava towards one of the planes and taking off. It later came apparent that he had lost his family long ago in a plane crash and didn't care about the more dangerous missions; he concluded that he had nothing to live for.

* * *

The journey there was filled with numerous stories from his past; dog fights with pirates and formal dinners with the Duke. It was obvious that he was a proud supporter of Skyheed, and somewhat supported Ava at the same time:

"I understand what your trying to do, young Ava. Its a hard job to be suddenly thrown into; but just think, Skyheed was thrown into it at the mere age of sixteen..."  
"I know. I can hardly cope now... let alone when I was younger. If it wasn't for the council I don't know where I would be..." Ava cut off her sentence and the remaining journey was travelled in silence.

The plane swiftly landed on a small, rock platform located outside the Abandoned Research Rig, which was now the home of the Eco Core. Aeropans of old had discovered it, but wisely deciding that its power was too great, they left it alone; leaving the facility to go dormant. That was until a few days ago, when a Dark Eco infused Skyheed lit up its corridors again. Ava stepped onto the wing of the plane, and then onto the rocky ground. She was handed a walkie talkie to contact her pilot she had come to know as Luke. He encouragingly tapped her on the shoulder as she began the long and windy walk across the runway which lead into the Rig's destroyed Hangar.

Inside was completely wrecked, where the Eco Core had moved everything out of the way in order to push up to the light. The control station was still below ground, and thats where Ava was heading. Surely if you had the power to crack into such a system and take its power... you would first start it its control core? Even if what she saw down there was utterly terrifying, somewhere deep inside the monster... was Skyheed.

Winding corridors and flooded rooms were what greeted her once she was fully inside the Rig. Every now and again Luke was come through on the walkie talkie to make sure she was alright and didn't need help. She of course answered that she was fine, but really, she was frightened. Before she was just a mere girl with a sickening background and an insignificant life... now, she was the head of a city, and an advanced one at that. The man she had came to love was now a monster and she had no family to support her. Her negative thinking was interrupted when she came to massive cracks in the floor and what seemed to be a lift shaft. This was it, the lift down to the Eco Core. The lift was already at the bottom and if she was to call it back up, Skyheed would almost certainly notice. She would have to be subtle... somehow.

Gaining the courage needed, she made her way towards some jagged rocks which were coming through the floor. Through the large crack surrounding them she could see a vague way down, towards some old poles. If she could reach those, then she could swing her way across the black abyss and make it into the platform, where she could see Skyheed. He was, of course, in his dark form and it brought a tear to Ava's eye, knowing that what stood down there was not the man she once knew, but a monster holding him captive with its vicious grip. Slowly, she made her way down. Slowly. Slowly. Rocks cut at her hands and drew blood but still she moved downwards. Finally reaching the poled, she secured the pistol in her holster and made a leap for one. Her blood covered hands didn't provide much grip and she struggled to stay on. The abyss below was beckoning, if she was to fall all of her worries would be over... Biting her lip, Ava swung for the next pole, gaining on the platform only meters away from her. It was a bit of a drop to the platform... but it had to be made. After counting to three, Ava let go of the pole.

The abyss did not catch her, but the platform did. The loud clang in which the Precurson metal made was enough to startle Skyheed. He span around and fixed his dark eyes on Ava, who by this point was shaking in pure fear. It was obvious he didn't recognise her. His eyes were full of hate and his body covered in scars. The monster stood before her could end the world right then, corrupt from power and the sheer strength of the Eco, but he didn't. It appeared that he did not know how to work the control panel. Many people over many years had tried to, but had not succeeded, This had worked to her advantage. He had pondered over it for so long it had given Ava more time to get here with the Shot.

This was it. She was about to shoot the man she had fallen madly in love with. The monster staggered forward, bearing its teeth. Ava took the pistol from her holster and raised it up with shaky hands. The monster did not move. He stared. Black claws were as sharp as knives, lifted up in a movement to warn. Ava closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger.

There was a piercing noise as the transparent bullet pierced the air and wedged itself in the monsters neck. Staggering backwards, he held a hand to where it had struck him. Bewildered, he pulled his hand away to see a small trickle of blood smudged across his fingers. Ava kept her distance. She didn't know what his reaction was going to be. The words of the Scientist kept spinning around in Ava's head; _The Eco has mutated his cells... The man you knew died long ago..._ She wiped the tears away in time to see the beast stagger backwards, loose its balance and fall to the floor. It lay there, it didn't move.

After a few moments, Ava made her way, cautiously, towards the monster. Its breathing had slowed and it was simply staring up at what was posing as the ceiling. Ava felt another tear stroll down her cheek as she approached the beast laying on the floor. Once it caught sight of her, it stared. It was obvious that it now didn't have the energy to move not the desire to hurt her. Something was happening but what was still a mystery. She knelt down by it's side and ran her hands up its broad chest; covered in cuts and bruises. She remembered the first time she had seen Skyheed like this... the sheer terror that coursed its way through her veins was, in itself, frightening. It, or he, lay there, merely watching every movement. Somewhere inside this monster was the loving and caring man she had once known.

Quietly, Ava moved a stray piece of hair from the monsters face. It had grown back to its original length, only here, it wasn't tied up in its usual neat ponytail. Instead, it scattered itself in all directions, twisting into knots. His breathing had slowed more and Ava gained the courage to stroke his cheek: oh so gently. _Fight it Skyheed... this isn't you..._ Just as she was about to break down crying next to this supposedly untameable beast, her walkie talkie burst into life with a concerned Luke on the end of it. He asked if everything was okay and Ava broke down into tears, explaining what had just happened. The short conversation ended with the words '_I'm on my way'_.

* * *

Luke came running into the Eco Core complex and, cleverly, took the lift down to where Ava was resting her head on the monsters vast chest. Tears were in her eyes, remembering the man that this monster used to be. She lifted her head and looked at Luke, who walked over.  
"What do you think we should do?" He asked, looking at the very relaxed Skyheed.

"I don't know." Ava was so emotional she couldn't think straight. Almost immediately after she had said that, the monster next to her winced in pain and thrashed out with its claws. Luke dragged Ava away and both of them watched as a large Eco Sphere surrounded Skyheed. Shielding their eyes, both of them crouched in a corner, wondering what was happening, scared.

Once the sphere had subsided, it revealed a more recognisable body laying on the floor: a shirtless, bruised, hurt man with choppy blue hair and torn trousers. Ava dashed towards him and knelt by his side. The shot appeared to have worked; he was fully unconscious. He looked so pitiful, so in pain. Luke rested a hand on her shoulder and helped her up. Luke, being quite a strong man, picked the unconscious Skyheed up and threw him over one shoulder. It didn't take long for them to navigate their way back to the Hangar and then onto the plane. Luke lay Skyheed across the back seats and Ava stayed with him, resting his head on her lap. For the entire journey back, she was stroking his head and twiddling his hair between her fingers. _How she missed his warm arms..._

* * *

Aeropa quickly became visible through the thick cloud. Luke flicked a small ball of paper at Ava in order to wake her up. It startled her, but the first thing she did was to check Skyheed was okay. Once she established that, she flicked the paper back at Luke. He called the Hangar ahead of them and requested medical attention.

Minutes later, everything happened so fast. Skyheed was whisked off on a bed towards the hospital faster than anyone had moved. Ava followed but was caught by Ruskin who proceeded to drag her off in another direction. His leg had obviously healed and he was now walking again. Ava was a mess by the time he got her to the hall, where the council was already assembled.  
"Skyheed's back." Ruskin panted, talking straight through the circle of members and sitting on his seat. Ava followed but more slowly.  
"I've been gone mere hours and you boys have already sorted out some of the city." Ava was staring out of the window at the city that was slowly building itself back up.  
"It was the orders you left." Mason replied, smiling. _What was wrong with him?_  
"I see you have finally..." Ava began before being interrupted.

"I don't think now is the time." Ruskin laughed. "We have more pressing matters on our hands."

"Time, Chancellor. In time the city will rebuild itself." For once... they all agreed.

Each council member left and made their way towards their usual quarters. The palace was one part of the city that wasn't drastically affected. As Ava made her way towards her temporary quarters she was pulled to one side by a nurse who had come looking for her. Swiftly, she was escorted to the Hospital and told not to be afraid.

* * *

Ava walked, alone, into a side room on the Hospital ward. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door with a sign saying 'Private' on it and stepped in. Lay before her on the Hospital bed was Skyheed. He was shirtless and covered with wires which linked to machines, IV drips were connected to his arm and blood was being filtered via a transfusion pump, drawing out the Eco. She sat on the side of his bed for a few moments; stroking his hair. So much pressure drove this man to being what he couldn't be...

* * *

_Dear Diary, _

_It's been three months. Three months to the day that we pulled Skyheed out from that curse and began to filter his blood from the Dark Eco that raged within. Scientists are still unsure... they don't believe fully that it is going to work, they don't believe that he will ever wake up. Why do they abandon him in his time of need? Did he? No. He was there for all Aeropans from the day that he was thrusted greatness. I can't help but wonder what he went through as a child... things he never told me... and all I can do is wonder. As far as I know he will never hold me in his arms again, nor will he point out constellations in the sky when were laying underneath them. Will I ever relive those feelings? _

_What I feel right now is irrelevant. The city I have cherished for so long has finally blossomed. Aeropa has been rebuilt and I have learnt so much leading it to this point. I have truly figured out who I am... as cliché as it sounds. I know know etiquette and what is considered wrong and right... I am now a Lady. Everything has changed so much..._

_Christmas is just around the corner. Unlike before, the city has been covered in lights and tinsel. Children can be seen from my study window, as I am writing this entry, running around in pretty dresses, playing. Everyone seems so happy, everyone seems so joyful. I have been robbed... the man I love was robbed from me... taken by darkness. I can only like in hope that one day, he will wake up and still love me. _

_I guess, as before, only time will tell._

_Ava. X_

* * *

Ava awoke the next morning with the distinct feeling she was being watched. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes she saw Kayara stood at the bottom of her bed, holding what seemed to be Ava's phone in her hand.

"Sorry to wake you, Miss, But your phone has been ringing all morning." Ava blinked a few times before sitting up and noticing the time. 12:45. She had slept in far too late. She took her phone and went to have a shower, leaving it next to the sink. While she was actually in the shower, she listened to the messaged that were left.  
"_Miss Ava. Apologies for ringing your private number, but Skyheed's stat's have just increased. The doctor thinks that he may be in the process of waking up. Please come down as soon as your free." _

Ava had never leapt out of the shower and got dressed so quickly in all of her life. She sprinted past council members who wanted to stand and chat and slid through doorways. It seemed to take mere minutes to get to the Hospital from the Palace and once there, she was escorted into the private room.

Many of the wires that had once inhabited Skyheed's chest were now gone and all of the machines were turned off. She was left alone with him. Carefully, she sat onto the side of his bed and stroked his cheek. _Wake up..._ Half an hour passed and nothing happened, but just as Ava was loosing hope; two blue slits appeared in his eyes.  
"_Merry Christmas._" Ava sobbed, looking at Skyheed's barely open eyes. He didn't yet have the strength to say anything, but he moved his hand to touch hers. That was enough. _He was alive. _  
"Doctor!" Ava called, she needed to alert them about the fact he was awake. The one that had been looking over Skyheed for all these months came rushing in and smiled. He gave Skyheed a shot of some sort and said that he should fully come around in a few moments. The rest of that days schedule went out of the window, as Ava stayed next to Skyheed, watching him slowly wake up from a sleep that had lasted for what seemed to be forever.

* * *

It was Christmas eve when Skyheed finally walked out of the Hospital, with the help of Ava. He was unsteady on his feet and weak, but with rest, he would make a full recovery. Against the odds, he had survived again. He had missed so much. Ava now had Dark powers of her own, and with the help of what Gol gave her... she could manage them.

The first thing Ava did was take Skyheed to the Eco Fountain, where she walked him to the edge. Skyheed's eyes lit up when he saw the lights of Aeropa shining brightly. Large Christmas trees were scattered around the city and the distant sound of a children's choir could be heard singing carols.  
"It looks incredible." He muttered, holding on to Ava.  
"You've missed quite a lot." she laughed.  
"Ava..." he began.

"Don't." Ava knew exactly what was coming and her emotional status would not cope with it at that moment.  
"I don't deserve to be alive. I caused so much pain... so much..."

"Yes. You did. You single-handedly destroyed Aeropa and became a complete... _dick._" She looked up at Skyheed who had a look of shock upon his face, accompanies by the feeling of sorrow. "But, what happened, happened for a reason. Anyway, it happened and we cant do anything about it now. All that's important is that your alive and Aeropa is back on track. Technology is advancing and we have, together cracked the secrets of Dark Eco."  
"Don't use too much, Ava. Its not good for you." Skyheed was being sincere up until the point Ava laughed.  
"Pot... Kettle... Black." Ava smiled and remembered people saying that to her when she was growing up.  
"What?" Skyheed laughed, not hearing that phrase before.  
"Hypocrite." She smiled again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We should really get you inside, it's getting cold."

As they began to walk inside, snow began to softly fall. Skyheed stopped and looked up to the sky, which was a beautiful light grey. Ava was right, it was getting cold, but that didn't stop him from pulling her close and kissing her unexpectedly in the light flakes which were showering them. Ruskin looked out of his window and saw the both of them. The words '_its about time_' were muttered under his breath before he went to bed.

"Ava..." Skyheed finally said. "I cant forgive myself for what I've done."

"Well your going to have to. Your the only one left who hasn't. Every Aeropan out there is more than happy to have you back, and anyway, I need a Holiday. All this 'running a city' malarkey isn't what its cracked up to be." She lead Skyheed inside and shut the doors. There was no reply from Skyheed. The minute his head hit the pillow in his own bed with Ava, he was asleep.

Tomorrow was going to be just another day...


End file.
